Jive Five

Haven't heard that much exciting new tunage recently to be honest, but these babies struck me as pretty cool. Let's start off with Woods, who sound a lot more poppy all of a sudden on what is already album #8, With Light And With Love. A track like Shepherd proves they haven't lost that magic touch though. Tasty pedal steel, lads! Meanwhile up in Scotland, King Creosote composed a way interesting soundtrack to a documentary about his home country. It's titled From Scotland With Love, and I love it right back. After the demise of the mighty Black Swans, Jerry David DeCicca now goes it alone. If you like your folk real dark and moody, the resulting Understanding Land will be right up your alley. Amy and Dan from Village Of Spaces have been at it again, too. Welcome In is out on their own Turned World imprint, and if Wheels doesn't charm your socks off I don't know what will. And last but not least, let me present Alice Gerrard, a lady who's been playing folk and bluegrass for over fourty years. Her new offering Follow The Music was produced by none other than Hiss Golden Messenger's MC Taylor, which is a recommendation in itself methinks.

Woods - Shepherd
King Creosote - Cargill
Jerry David DeCicca - Before The Storm
Village Of Spaces - Wheels
Alice Gerrard - Boll Weevil

Fat Of The Land

Yesterday's big news was of course the imminent arrival of the complete Basement Tapes, as volume 11 of the ongoing Bootleg Series. Which means an amazing 138 tracks on 6 cd's of Dylan and the Band having fun in a Woodstock room back in '67: what a wealth. Out early November, so better start saving up... Open that door!

Bob Dylan & The Band - Open The Door Homer

All You Need

Fully Qualified Survivor, the second album by underrated British folkie Michael Chapman, is essential listening, my amigos da musica. Interesting plus: it features a young Mick Ronson on guitar, just before he would hit the big leagues as a member of Bowie's Spiders From Mars.

Michael Chapman - Naked Ladies And Electric Ragtime

In The Sun

Remember the muy simpático Simple Machines label? For its early-nineties singles club, it released a highly collectable series of split singles under the Working Holiday! moniker. Each song was especially written to commemorate a holiday of the month it was released in. Cool concept, huh? Here's a couple of highlights for all you indie types out there.

Eggs - Roll Away The Stone
Codeine - Ides

Pot Of Gold

All hail Chasing Rainbows, a cool new collaboration between Santa Barbara and Amsterdam. Psychedelic and ramshackle, the inspired pop of singer Lawrence Rengert and his four experienced Dutch cohorts is right up my alley. A 7" single is out as we speak, and you can expect a full-lenght album on the Excelsior label real soon. So get up, already. Damn.

Chasing Rainbows - Time To Get Up

Won't You Help Me

Mid-August and only 13 degrees out? Raining all the time, to boot? You've got to be kidding me.

The Tears - Weatherman

¡Al Cante!

Me? I'm muy feliz, as I just decided to attend the famous Fiesta de la Bulería this year. It's the Glastonbury of flamenco puro, folks! Saturday night, September 6, held as always in the local bullring of Jerez de la Frontera, flamenco city. Its stellar line-up features big names as Agujetas, Jesús Méndez, Diego Carrasco, Remedio Amaya, and - my personal fave - the mighty Capullo de Jerez. For more info, if you can read Spanish that is, go here. See you there? I'll buy you a glass of fino for sure.

Capullo de Jerez - Soleá Por Bulerías

Squeeze Me

I don't think the Lemonheads have been featured in these pages before, and that's an omission I really can't explain. After all, I saw them more than once on stage back in the days, and can even recall strutting around in a way cool Hate Your Friends tee. To put things right, here's a choice cut from each of their first 5 albums, clearly showcasing Evan Dando's progression from punk pop to pure pop.

Lemonheads - Glad I Don't Know
Lemonheads - Two Weeks In Another Town
Lemonheads - Mallo Cup
Lemonheads - Left For Dead
Lemonheads - Confetti

Make It Sing

"There are wicked men sitting in the seat of judgment..." Indeed, my brethren, indeed. Cool roots from reggae poet Linton Kwesi Johnson's first outing, featuring the elusive Vivian Weathers on vocals.

Poet And The Roots - Song Of Blood

Bottom Line

Look who I ran into on my recent travels. Yup, the Igster himself, promoting a softdrink in the streets of the capital of Catalunya. "With your expensive smile and your money eyes, and a full prescription bottle just to keep the customer high, that's how you sell your love..."

Iggy Pop - Sell Your Love