Joe Meek - "The Emotional, The Cosmic & Occult World of Joe Meek (Mississippi Records)

For the past 30 years I have been obsessed with the sounds and narrative of Joe Meek. There are many compilations out there, but what I suspect is a bootleg, "The Emotional, The Cosmic & Occult World of Joe Meek" is magnificent. Not a bad cut here, and extremely well curated collection of Meek's productions, mostly from the early to mid 1960s. My favorite is Blue Rondos's "Little Baby" which is Roy Obrison magnified in the Meek surroundings into something huge and beautiful. The compressed sound of Meek's production makes it sounds like the band are in a box with tiny air holes to keep them alive. Therefore there is an aural intensity of the sound. The Moontrekkers's "Night of the Vampire" is the ultimate horror instrumental, from the creeking of a casket opening to the female screams, a superb marching riff which I suspect on guitar is played by Richie Blackmore. There is only one mega-hit on this compilation and it's John Leyton's "Johnny Remember Me," a death song bordering on Meek's sense of eros. If you look hard enough one can find this 12-song compilation online. I'm not sure what the sound source is from - CD? Master tapes? Still, it sounds good on my hi-fi. A must for the Joe Meek fan.

MATTHEW EDWARDS AND THE FUTURISTS "The First Song of the Revolution EP" (Static Caravan Recordings)

MATTHEW EDWARDS AND THE FUTURISTS "The First Song of the Revolution EP" (Static Caravan Recordings) Listening to Matthew Edwards's new EP "The First Song of the Revolution" reminds me of all the things I like about music. Music that is textured and performed with taste, precise musicianship, and a reflection of one's past as well as the present. The title song reminds me of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City" in its intense sense of place and time. The tune is not the same, but the sense of urgency is very much of those two songs. There are traces of Jack Thackery and early Scott Walker, not due to the voice, but more of the narrative snapshot images in these four songs. Edwards is an artist who takes you to an aural sensuality pool, with the added presence of beautiful lyrics. I bring up the past a lot when I write about music, and it is because I feel I live many lives in songs, and I think Edwards has the same aesthetic or approach to music as well. He's fantastic and very much a treasured and shared artist.

The Bachelor Pad - "All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad" (Emotional Response)

"All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad - The Bachelor Pad (Emotional Response)

There are moments in life when one is confronted by something familiar but so beautiful. The Batchelor Pad is a band from Scotland, who released a handful of singles and one album "Tales of Hofmann." They recently released "All Hash and Cock: The Very Best of The Bachelor Pad," a compilation of their old recordings from 1987 -1991, but sounds like a solid album, not a collection of old recordings. It starts off with the song "The Album of Jack" that references "She Loves You" by the Fab Four and ends with "I Want To Hold Your Head," which lightly comments on "I Want to Hold Your Hand." In-between those two songs, you are taken on a ride through the 1960s/1970s UK pop music but never losing the touch of The Bachelor Pad's originality and humor. To define their sound, I could say they're noisy with irresistible pop melodies. Psych-rock in the most real sense, but their canvas is much larger than that.  

Listening to this compilation, I can hear various artists' presence, but not necessarily a full-end tribute. It's more like a Richard Hamilton college or a Joseph Cornell box sculpture where there are individual pieces that tie to a specific visual or sensibility, but as a whole, it becomes an original artwork. The Bachelor Pad is the same in that they are part of their influences, but the way they put their songs together, it becomes un unique aural sound piece.  

All the songs are layered with guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums, but merge into a sound that is partly Joe Meek meets classic Move (Roy Wood) when they did their early singles. The songs are written by Tommy Cherry and Martin Cotter, and both are credited for guitars and vocals. Due to the sonic qualities, I can't tell who or what guitar is playing; it all blends in such a style as an early Associates recording. They throw in the bathtub and sink, but the sound is chaos with plenty of hummable melodies. "Do It For Fun" sounds like a demented Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich song, but even crazier.   

There are no weak cuts on this compilation, but the stand out is what I believe was their last recording, and it was solely written by Cherry "Meet the Lovely Jenny Brown." The definition of this song is 'Perfect Pop." A beautiful build-up to the catchy chorus, it's a hit song that somehow fell through the cracks of time. A remarkable song on a perfect compilation that sounds like an amazing album. -Tosh Berman. 

You can get this album on their label's website: Emotional Response. https://emotionalresponserecords.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-bachelor-pad-all-hash-and-cock

JARV IS... (Rough Trade) LP, Album, Vinyl, 2020

The new Jarvis Cocker project is Jarv Is... It's a relief of sorts that he has his groove back. For Cocker to do his best work, he needs a great band behind him, for instance, Pulp. Here, he has a brand new group, and they are different from Pulp, but the robust electronics and violin are put in good use in the arrangements. The mixture of real instruments and 70's-era moogs gives it a vintage touch, but also a platform for Jarvis to shine. All the songs are co-written, mostly with Serafina Steer, who plays harp and keyboards. Emma Smith plays violin, and both the back up vocals of Smith and Steer add a lot to the textural quality of the songs. Jarvis mostly plays guitars here, and more used as a sound texture than anything else. A wonderful album.

Sparks: "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" Double 45 rpm 12" Vinyl, 2020 (BMG))

Sparks is the portrait of Dorian Gray.  As they go on, their music never ages, yet I, as a listener, is clearly getting older.  Their bite is still energetic, and the melodies that they make seem effortless. "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" is a remarkable work, due that its excellence is forward-thinking but without tainting their past.  For me, Sparks's albums are just a chapter in a long (and so far endless) novel.  Ron Mael's lyrics are the most literate in pop; in a sense, one notices the craft that goes into his writing, and then beyond that format, which makes it art.  I never think of Sparks in the terminology of rock n' roll.  To me, their work belongs to the Great American Songbook tradition of songcraft and writing.  Each Sparks album is a multi-media presentation, but for the ears.  Sitting in front of my speakers, I can see the entire show taking place.  "Lawnmower" is one of those Mael's Raymond Queneau type of songs, where the words are playful as well as adding a catchy beat.  Russell Mael's voice takes character and is clearly one of the great vocalists of the last 40-something years. 

There are no 'weak' cuts on this album.  The songs flow from one to the other as if they all belong to the same and close family.   What I do hear that is new is a sax here and there, and some songs have a loud acoustic guitar driving the melody hard.  "A Study Drip, Drip, Drip" is an exceptional album in horrific times.  May Sparks bring light to our world. 

James Brown and The Famous Flames - "I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me" Album, LP, Vinyl, 1968 (King Records)

First of all, one of my favorite album covers. I love the three women, and Brown in that mid-century non-existent background. Beyond that, this is an album of 45 rpm singles. When I hear this album, I hear a series of songs—still, a remarkable album. I'm of the opinion that Brown didn't make any bad records during the 1960s. Some I like more than others, but "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me) is one of the great Brown tunes—an existential existence on the sexual hysteria series of moments. The rest of the album is a consistent groove that one can play at a party, and no one is going to turn blue because of its relatedness funk. 

"Time After Time" has strings behind a horn arrangement, with a potent mix of drums, and it's a pop song, which in actuality it's written by J. Styne and S. Cahn. Oddly enough, it sounds like The Stones "Satisfaction" in parts. "The Soul of J.B." has an organ solo, which I believe is Brown himself. Solid work from beginning to end.  The album is a bridge between the soulful and funk that is Brown. 

Reinbert de Leeuw/Erik Satie - "Vexations" LP, Album, 1983 (Philips)

Album of the day: "Vexations" written by Erik Satie, and performed by Reinbert de Leauw. There are a few editions of this remarkable piece of music. This is the 40-minute version by de Leauw, but there are at least two other versions that last for 80-minutes on the CD format. Either way, you can't fail with this piece of music. Ambient by design, but in actuality, it's a very demanding listening experience. When times get tough (and it's super-duper tough now) this music doesn't exactly calm me down but makes me think in a deeper mode. It's almost another layer of the brain is used when listening to Vexations. If I was going to hit the streets, this would be the music in my headphone.