New Music

I've been investing in some new music recently so I thought I'd share it.

Ono - Yes, I'm A Witch

On principle I've always liked Yoko Ono. She's an artist, she believes in what she does, she's always been the future not the past and she's been vilified for most of my life (and hers) for daring to love John Lennon. Most of her free-form stuff in the early '70s was too much for me but I do have a Yoko vinyl album in my Dad's attic from way back then.

I read about her new album in 'Mojo' and was intrigued. So I got it. I'm listening to it now and I like it. 'Yes, I'm A Witch' is a celebration of her songs over the years, retaining her vocals but the music and production is farmed out to others to experiment with. The collaborations are with a wide range of people, such as Peaches, The Flaming Lips and the Polyphonic Spree. My favourites so far are 'Everyman, Everywoman' with Blow Up, 'Sisters O Sisters' (from 'Sometime in New York City') with Le Tigre, 'Yes, I'm A Witch' with The Brothers Brothers and 'Cambridge' with the Flaming Lips.

I like it. Click on 'Yes I'm A Witch' to hear the songs streamed. A second collection is due out later this year.

!!! (chk chk chk)

I saw !!! (chk chk chk) last night supporting the Maximos and quite liked what I heard. They were loud and wierd and all in the jeans+teeshirt uniform, doing the free-form 'I'm gonna bang some drums now' thing but it sort of worked for me. Their roots are definitely in the late '80s baggy E thing but I could help but groove my funky stuff to the density of sound emating from the stage.

When I got home I checked them out online and found their MySpace site with their new single, 'Heart to Heart' and decided it sounded so much better live, with the wierd audio scribblings on the keyboard, the bloke doing something on the floor with his guitar and odd members of the band joining in on bits of percussion. Give 'em a listen.

Various - I'm In The Mood For Love

I'm loving this collection of lovers rock, the luv-dup version of reggae I saw a few weeks back at the 'Queens of Lovers Rock' show at the Barbican with Janet Kay and Caroll Thompson. It sounds so right. A nice mix of old and new, originals and covers, and all with that same lovers rock groove, enticing you in, soft and warm. Oooer!

Reggae is so much more than Bob Marley. He's pivotal in bringing reggae to a wider audience in the mid '70s but reggae was around before and after Bob. The almost-pop of Desmond Dekker and Bob and Marcia, the scary rebel of Linton Kwesi Johnson and the lurve of Janet Kay and others. This is a good selection so please go and buy it. Reggae and sunshine go together like, well, reggae and sunshine, and we all need some sunshine.

Alan Price - Geordie Boy

As a Geordie I must be at the very least sympathetic to Alan Price's work. I remember him from those late '60s/early '70s variety shows with him plonking away at the piano, occasionally with Georgie Fame in a duet thing. For some reason, the 'Jarrow Song' has popped up on my iPod several times recently and that made me want to explore his music more fully. So I got his double CD anthology.

I haven't heard both CDs yet, but I like what I hear. It's got the hits on it of 'Simon Smith', 'Rosetta', 'Jarrow Song' and others you'll recognise and I love hearing these again. But there are also gems like 'Tickle Me', 'Shame' and 'The House That Jack Built'. It's all very keyboard and voice dominated but that's nice for a change. It's a late night album.

He's not going to be to everyone's taste but he works for me and I like the quality of his voice. And I always like a Geordie boy to do well on principle. Mmmm maybe the Maximos should cover 'Jarrow Song'?