The Telescope

Keep Aqueous on your radar; they’re doing great things

I’ve seen Aqueous several times now in Cleveland - most recently this past Wednesday at the Beachland Tavern.

I haven’t really been this excited about any one component of the *jam scene* for a long time. Aqueous has a very fresh sound. While drawing on a number of musical traditions, they’re paving a brand new path with bricks of golden melody.

Dig the link above for my review of this week’s show. I’ll plan on catching them next month in Erie, Pa., and in April for their two appearances in Cleveland.

Just a quick update for now - and a nod to Cleveland Scene. I’m sorta digesting the band’s latest album, Willy is 40, so maybe a full-bodied review is in order sometime soon.

Just a quick roundup of bands I’m diggin’ lately

- Milo Greene (for work and for the recent Bonnaroo nod)

- The National (for festie appearances and the fact that they’ve been on my to-listen-to list for a while - particularly Alligator)

- Belle and Sebastian (see The National)

- Foals

- Cellar Door Vol. II & III (local compilations of bitchin’ Cleveland music)

- Mogwai

- Phish (duh.)

- Dawes

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

This show from the Brooklyn Bowl last weekend is just incredible. “Shakedown Street” is a total trip!

Jeff Mangum in Cleveland and - Ohmigawd! It’s JEFF FUCKING MANGUM!

Here’s my quick take on the (really fantastic) Jeff Mangum show in Cleveland last night. The crowd reminded me of the over-the-top cult of In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.

Yo La Tengo, ushering seeds toward a fruitful future

Nighttime cabernet on the table, ready to dig into Yo La Tengo’s first album in, oh, four years or so.

Pleasantries right off the bat: Opening track “Ohm” has a reservedly upbeat feel to it, contrasting darker lead tunes like “Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind.” Ira’s *do da do* chirping in the background really illuminates that and sets up hopes for an album that’s going to grow upward and spin off interweaving branches of ideas and melodies.

It’s the band’s 13th studio album, representing the latest notch in a catalog that spans a much, much wider sojourn than most contemporaries. I love the band dearly, but tend to hold them at arm’s length. We’re on different wavelengths, at times.

There are soft moments riddled throughout the band’s discography that still cease to pull me in completely. “Is That Enough” fills that spot with aplomb.

YLT’s grab-bag action has always been one of their many appeals. The album, at this early point, continues to skip toward jauntiness and the juxtaposition of filter-laced fuzz groove.

Dig “Stupid Things” to get yr fix of bass-driven conversation with splattering accents dashing around in the background. And pair it nicely with the follow-up “I’ll Be Around.” Quick note: A trend that I loathe in music reviews of any kind is comparisons to other bands. The name-dropping is too easy and it detracts from the music at hand. Buuuut… There is this fine Wilco element going on in this song. And I like it a lot. AND it segues sweetly into a Georgia-crooned tune. Oh, mercy!

Something that strikes the listener is how smoothly this album encapsulates much of what has come before it. I Can Feel The Heart…, I Am Not Afraid of You… and And Then Nothing… - the band’s trio of masterpieces, by most accounts - are each felt throughout. Seeds planted much earlier have produced a rather sturdy and mature limb in Fade. There’s nothing *groundbreaking* about albums put out by bands of YLT’s vintage. And I almost feel like a silly bastard getting into such talk. But there it is: This album is a joy upon first blush: simple, vibey and kind.

Jim James: A New Life

My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James (alternatively Yim Yames) released a cut from his upcoming solo work today, via Rolling Stone.

Ethereal and patently Jimjamesean, the vocal melody ebbs and flows with reflective optimism. Gentle clapping and humming guitar strum work work together to paint a nice backdrop for the song. Throughout, “A New Life” builds and shines a snide light on buoyantly good times ahead.

Regions of Light and Sound of God hits the streets Feb. 5.

I’ll wrap things up here with a great Jim James quote - one that I think about often, especially in the morning as I head outside to begin the day:

“Every day is a psychedelic experience, if you’re open to it.”

***

This post also counts as my return to blogging, which has been long in the works. With a much postponed Happy 2013!, I’ll be maintaining the music focus and, ideally, broadening the Talk My Talk column. So, uh, hello again.

Quick update re: employment and blog-related stuff

Beginning Dec. 10, I’ll be writing for Cleveland Scene. Do pick up a copy every Wednesday and look for what can only be described as “one hell of a byline.”*

You can, of course, keep finding my ramblings about Phish and other forms of music here on a semi-regular basis. The December 1995 post is just kinda growing like kudzu vine further down the page here. You can find the link to an easy-to-read Google doc in the Talk My Talk tab up top.

* According to most - but not all - members of the Pulitzer Prize board

The long post

Like Phish’s talk of “the long gig,” I’ve found myself constructing “the long post” just below this one. The Talk My Talk column on Phish’s December 1995 shows is kinda growing tangled and messy. Maybe?

I shouldn’t have tried to tackle the entire month in one long, continuously updated post. I’ll likely be severing the different sections from the beast and posting them in the Talk My Talk page (link located at the top ofthispage).

I’ve knocked out three shows, so far. It’s a fun little feat and one that I haven’t really tried to do. Listening to shows in consecutive order is a fascinating glimpse into history. Again, I’ll be writing all month about these shows, with depth and clarity of thought coming later. Maybe?

Talk My Talk: December 1995

Let’s resurrect this column here and diverge from its regular(ish) form. This month, I’ll be rewinding time and deliberately listening to all of December 1995. It’s hallowed ground in the Phish canon and, to be honest, I’ve never listened to any real *significant* collection of shows in order.

To be honest, I haven’t heard terribly much of December 1995. 12/14 and 12/31 are the only shows I know well; other snippets of the month I’ve heard only on occasion. The Mike’s Grooves on 12/1 and 12/7 are worth doing this whole thing on their own merit, but, still, it’s been a while since I’ve done them much justice.

I’ll keep this post active and updated as the listening goes on, adding thoughts here and there.

The whole month features top-tier playing, leading to the iconic NYE show that year. The playing comes off as one protracted high-water mark following more than a year of blistering arena rawk, psychedelic excursions and goofball mania. In a word, bliss.

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