LIGHTEN UP!

OK… I get it. The ECM spring break post was a little bit much to take. I was recently reminded that my musical taste is a lot more fun than that post made me seem. So if you were like “dude I hate all of this shit“ fret not. I have been in a different place all summer. Like Taco Bell at 3am, but with less self-loathing, here’s a summer snack of guilt-free pop trash. Mostly.

Madonna
Madonna
Her self-titled first album kills me to this day and Reggie Lucas needs more love, because that dude could write a song. As a little boy, I fell in love with her on the Borderline video. It didn't keep and like Mr. Blue I tuned out after the whole Papa Don't Preach thing. This album is pure post disco synth pop gold. I own the embarrassment. And you should too.

The Style Council
Introducing: The Style Council
Paul Weller is just everything. Every few years, I play the first EP nonstop. Last time, was summer 2015 when living between NY and LA. I first learned of Paul in an off brand studio, in an off brand town, tracking drums for a friend's project. What Grumec shared with me changed my life. (well …you know.) The Long Hot Summer and its remix always seems to find relevance. I could go on, but…

Grace Jones
Portfolio
Fame
Warm Leatherette
Nightclubbing
A true artist, who has been slept on because of the way she looked. Her artistic statement was the totality of the entire effort and the constant change. Always pushing boundaries and growing. Fearless in the face of one success, able to shed and grow again. A true visionary. The above titles will walk you through the end of disco all the way to the burgeoning new wave reggae effort of the early 1980’s. All of that artistry in just 6 years. It is an amazing journey and full of enough pop fluff to keep you bouncing.

The Housemartins
London 0 Hull 4
Another album from my childhood. Paul Heaton blends up-tempo, borderline blue-eyed soul, with short, frantic almost tabernacle revival like pieces of social import. In fact, much of the music from this period tackled serious issues. Like Weller, Heaton was not content with the status quo. Thatcherism, social apathy, Apartheid, climate change, it's discontent delivered in a wonderful wave of sound and consciousness.

Shintaro Sakamoto
How To Live With A Phantom
This lo-fi 12bit sounding record from 2011 is a muted blissful experiment. Think Japanese Steely Dan without the fidelity. Throwback bossa lounge grooves of the early 1980’s à la Tracey Thorn with a decidedly city feel. At least a city feel as offered by B-roll footage of skylines and cityscapes found in airport lounges 40 years ago. A soft breeze from the former Yura Yura Teikoku harshness and a lovely, if not somewhat revivalistic effort of the yacht rock genre.

L'Impératrice
Tako Tsubo
I own the 2021 double LP and it is a glorious effort in a beautiful package. I have been trying to convince Flore Benguigui that LA is her place. Just call already! This album works sequentially really well. The tracks all have the “single” playlist kind of vibe, but to hear an album front to back work in order so well today is novel. Synth pop post millennial disco with a blend of sun-kissed French summer sun. Not terribly original, but done well. Breathy melodies and silky electronic grooves hint at what could be, but don’t ever actually succumb to the urge. I like this fact. Some critics found the album out of touch with the past 12 months. I guess every artist has to talk about the fucking pandemic. Just enjoy the pop fluff bliss.

Charles Mingus
The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
Writing or talking about this album is cliché in certain circles. I can’t offer better words than what has been said for nearly 65 years about this magnificent piece of work. I tend to really like this album when it’s hot. As day unfolds into night and the steamy humidity starts to give way, the album tells a story. It's lustful, dirty, lurid and beautiful all at the same time.

Tony Bennett
If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set
Be it the late afternoon slipping into dusk or after midnight this album has appeal. Yes, it is borderline cheesy. Yes, parts are overdone. And yet, it is quite enjoyable. It's a 1963 nod to the burgeoning bossa nova vibe that captured a middle-aged generation of the 1960's, oblivious to the sacrifices of the poor and the young. This album sounds like what Don Draper would play on the console. There would be drinks. Then ...there would be something else. If you need to escape, go to Rio with Tony.

Human League
Dare!
Just stop already. Another gem from my childhood, where a Jupiter 4 and a Korg 770 become friends. Before this band split, and one half became Heaven 17, they made early style modern electronica. However on Dare!, they find the Taco Bell at 3am. Monophonic synth sounds, 8 bit drum patches and dry British vocals collide with a dawning decade of post disco new wave. The LFO never had it so good. Yes the album can get tedious for a sophisticated listener, but the repetition, lyrical discontent and juxtaposition of sound to word is a great study in the pop new wave art experiment. If you like the sounds and want an adventure, go backwards to the pre split album Travelogue from 1979. Far more experimental. If you like Dare!, the next import EP Fascination!, is essentially an early 80's movie montage soundtrack sound. Nowhere near as good as Dare! but the title track, Fascination is pop trash gold. If you like this track, there is a 12" 45 released as an import vinyl in 1983, that sounds great.

Done.
So there. That's pretty much my summer catalog, minus some Blue Note issues on Music Matters. That's for a different post. As opposed to my ECM catalog, not everything here is an intellectual dissection and deep dive into musical aptitude. I actually have a lot of music that fits into the above jumbled mess of schizophrenic listening. If you message me, I will send more.