Motorpsycho: Rock Bottom / Silver Dollar Forger (2023)

 Fresh from across the pond. The mighty Motorpsycho takes on Nazareth and UFO, and they completely crush it.

The Beatles: Something New (1964)

 Of course the Capitol albums were totally jive but this is definitely one of the jivest. All but three songs are from A Hard Day’s Night, but totally shuffled. Fortunately that album is the peak of their early era so that music is welcome anywhere. Its just weird for it to be only slightly out of context. It’s cool to get “Slow Down” and “Matchbox” on record but who the hell needs a German version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”? I mean, it’s amusing but that’s a bonus track n a much later box set at best. Capitol was squeezing so much product out of The Beatles and this album…I mean, even the title doesn’t give a shit. 

That said, this record kicks. 

Of course it does….

moe. - Not Normal (2020)

A companion to their 2020 full-length, this five song EP (spread over two discs) is a fantastic record in its own right. It kicks off with Chuck Garvey’s intricate “New Hope For The New Year” and continues with Rob Derhak’s wonderfully weird “Pill Vacation”. Al Schnier takes care of the C-side with the road-worked “ATL” as well as “Screaming & Kicking”, which is classic Al. Rob closes out this set with “Prestige Worldwide”, which had been kicking around the rotation for a few years and becoming a monster. A key lyric from this song gave these two sets their name - “this is not, we are not normal”. Ain’t that the truth. 

Despite appearances this is definitely not just a set of leftovers. These tracks are every bit as good (or better) as the ones on the proper LP, and some of them have become standards. I look very forward to what this band does next.

moe. - This Is Not, We Are (2020)

 The most recent release from one of the coolest bands out there. I’ve been digging moe. since 1996 and they continue to get better with age. As with most of their albums, the songs were all road tested, sometimes for several years, and it shows. This is a solid set played by a super tight band. Rob’s bass in the middle of “LL3” is one of my all time favorite moe.ments, as is the wacky groove on Jim Laughlin’s instrumental, “Jazz Cigarette”. Rob Derhak dominates the songwriting here, contributing five of the albums nine tracks, including the wicked “Skitchin’ Buffalo”, but Al Schnier gets off a couple of fantastic numbers (“Crushing” and “Dangerous Game”), and Chuck Garvey offers up the calmly-weird “Undertone”. Chuck is not as prolific as Rob & Al but when he brings in a song he really brings it. 

This was the last release before Chuck’s stroke (and the first since Rob’s cancer battle). The band had a very rough few years but were abetted by friends, to keep playing throughout Chuck’s recovery. Fortunately he is back with the band and sounding incredible.

Grateful Dead: Madison Square Garden 3/9/81

 

Just arrived today, from the wonderful Nail City Record. We got five LPs of killer Dead from an era that I don’t often explore, drawn from last year’s massive MSG 81/82/83 box set and given a standalone vinyl release, with artwork derived from its parent box (the packaging of which earned the Dead their first-ever Grammy). This was the early Brent era and the band was finally hitting full stride, evidenced here from the get-go with a certifiably wicked “Feel Like A Stranger” that kicks off this fiery set. The recording is super clean and the vinyl cut sounds phenomenal. These damn Dead boxes are gonna be the death of me but they are all so worth it. 

The next few hours are gonna be fun.

Blitzen Trapper: American Goldwing (2011)

 Not usually the BT album that I grab at random but this is a killer LP (as are all of their albums) and a great way to kick off this Saturday. 

Plus, this includes “Love The Way You Walk Away”, one of the greatest songs ever.

Midnight Oil, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (1983)

I reached for the new Metric but my finger landed on its fantastic next door neighbor.