Old Enough to Forget

Frank Turner is a bit of a conundrum. I can't rightly recall how I first heard of Mr. Turner, but I ended up with copies of England Keep My Bones (2011) and the two albums that followed, Tape Deck Heart (2013) and  Positive Songs for Negative People (2015). The only song I can remember is the all too short "Eulogy" that opens his 2011 release. I do remember them as being pretty decent, even if they didn't stick with me. I obviously liked him enough to pick up more of his stuff. That's the problem (one of many) with getting old, the neural pathways required to make those associative connections with time place and music are well worn and the ability to carve fresh tracks alongside the long establish ruts is pretty much an improbable task. However, my ability to appreciate music in the moment has not diminished. I'm as quick to pass to judgment as I ever was. If anything I'm more self aware and will often take the time to intentionally listen, really liste...

Steven Page has been quietly releasing albums since his departure from Barenaked Ladies back in 2010. I'll be upfront and admit I don't have a dog in the fight as to whether the band is better off with him or without him. Honestly I was a casual at best and while I have a few of their CDs I more or less stopped listening after their 2001 release  Disc One that collected their greatest hits from 1991 to 2001. I had no idea he had recently (dates and times are relative around here) released Excelsior . Over the last 25 years I've more or less observed from the sidelines. When Steven left Barenaked Ladies, I  watched along with millions of Canadian their reconciliation that wasn't a reconciliation for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame back in 2018. That performance absolutely silenced any doubters that this, THIS was the version of the band we needed, but wouldn't get - and that's okay. As cool as that Hall of Fame moment was it somehow managed to exclude...

Little Image, or little image, or my favourite and most aesthetically pleasing littleimage. is an alternative pop band from Dallas Texas. The band features the talents of Jackson Simmons (vocals, guitar), Troy Bruner (drums) and Brandon Walters (bass, synth). This is what passes for alternative nowadays. Yeah, I am old. Well, oldish, but it's all relative. Still, gotta give these kids props. They're a band, and band's are not the flavour of the day. Hollywood Records may or may not have the cachet they once had when they were the home of Queen and Fastball. They're still a major label in an age when I have no idea what labels are supposed to do for an artist. I suppose if I had the time I could write a letter to Ashton Ulrich and Mike Daly the dynamic duo who are the band's A&R team and ask them. Self Titled  is another one of those Marco Polo Platters I shelled out less than ten bucks for. I don't know why I just don't take a picture of the album and ...

Uncertain Country was another one of my Marco Polo Platters , and I bought this because it looked cool. I figured it would be artsy and independent. The back cover showed both Factor, and the government of Canada logos, which is code for artistic grants. I'm not judging at all (not yet anyway), I think it's great there's support for the arts. I just hoped it sounded good too. I'm going to give this a couple of spins before I sit on my stool of judgment and spew my nonsense. I am really looking forward to this one. I love the anticipation of the unknown.  First a little homework. For those in the know you can skip ahead to the parts where I jibber jabber about the record. Nothing I'm about to jot down will come as a surprise to the band's fans. I am for the most part largely oblivious to a lot of new stuff that's out there. I hear bits and pieces, often through my son who has a pretty eclectic CD collection. Yes, CD that's his media of choice. I like mos...

Hard to believe it's been a decade since I first heard My Morning Jacket's The Waterfall . I don't remember how I found it in the first place ... but I did. I honestly don't remember much other than the first cut "Believe (Nobody Knows)" was hypnotic. Such a great song. I'm going to have to listen to that one again ... but first I have a few things to jot down about the band's 2020 follow-up  The Waterfall II . I managed to snag a crisp new vinyl copy for under ten bucks. One of the many Marco Polo* bargains I've secured over the last year. I'll admit initially I was a wee bit perplexed by the title, but I also suspected there was a reason. My Morning Jacket is one of those bands I really don't know a lot about, they've been around a while. Their debut came out in 1999 and every couple of years a new album would get released. When Waterfall came out in 2015 it would be another five years before the outtakes were assembled into an alb...

The Northern Pikes were never one of my go to bands. They skirted the periphery for me, although they had a couple of killer tunes: “Things I Do For Money” was a nearly perfect ‘80s songs with a wonderfully syncopated delay on the guitar and a head bopping groove. The other was “Hopes Go Astray” which was (still is) a captivating song from  Secrets of the Alibi but don’t remember much else. The only thing I remember was being a bit disappointed. I was probably mix tape hunting, and aside from that one great song ("Hopes Go Astray") I didn’t pull anything else off and I suppose that was enough for me to bury it. Who knows. I was pretty quick to pass judgment and often it was brutal, and as I've found out in hindsight my loss. The band would keep dropping albums I more or less ignored ... okay it was more but I'm trying to soften my ambivalence. When they dropped "She Ain't Pretty" I had to admit it was catchy, but the little hairs on my neck didn't s...

I was dragged to the mall so my wife could do some returns . What she says is, "I bought a bunch of stuff and am taking it back." What she means is, "Everything that fit is still upstairs in the closet." Oh well. Our mall has one of those money laundering stores that sells posters and music. I have no idea how these places keep the lights on. With the resurgence of vinyl they actually have a decent selection, but boy howdy I am not paying thirty to sixty dollars for a new record that I paid ten for back in the day. However, the last couple of times I've been in there's a little section of clearance items, and lately clearance means 75% off. Which means this is more often than not a lot cheaper than buying a decent used record. The last couple of times I've actually taken chances on newish stuff, and the other day guess what was staring up at me? Why it was Melissa Etheridge of all people. Not that long ago I'd spent quite a while revisiting her debu...

Sloan is one of those bands who has slipped in and out of my field of vision for a long time. I went through a phase after Action Pact dropped back in 2003 and their song "The Rest of My Life" was getting a lot of play up here in the Great White North that I decided it was time to make up for lost time and pick up their albums ... all of them. Now not everything resonated with me, but there always seemed to be a standout or a spark that was enough to fan the fire and keep me engaged. When thinking about the great Canadian bands who never really got a shot outside of the country most people will usually proclaim The Tragically Hip as Canada's best kept secret. That's one answer, but there are other responses that are equally valid. To me Sloan was the band who had had the goods, and their retro feel and quirky image should have been enough. They've not so quietly crafted one power pop album after another delivering the goods. Woulda, shoulda, coulda - the classic C...