SOOTHSAYER OF THE LONG PLAYER

Laetitia Sadier

Laetitia Sadier’s album Something Shines is along the lines of soul. However we are thinking more in a classic sense when a band was involved. The term classic is evoked often, I only refer to this term in the sense of a time when music was more adventurous, soul and country music had longer songs that would tend to deviate into spacier places, rock was embracing more soul touches, this album imbues classic in that sense. “Butter Side Up” goes in movements from mellow pop to a sort of disco middle, that then turns into something trippier, “Quantum Soup” is as the title suggests, the album has many moods but all seem to move into something that aims for transcendence. There is something grand and picturesque, it is a fabulous 45 minutes.

Photo by Tiffany Yoon

Purling Hiss
Weirdon
(Drag City)

Guitar rock will always be classic, in some ways, it is not about reinvention, it is about presentation, a rock album is a great representation of guitar music. Guitar music begins as a person with a stick of wood with strings strumming, then the ideas and stories come out, sometimes taking a turn for the mystic and otherworldly, that is what happens on “Another Silvermoon” it is a song that veers into space, into some other place from a seemingly basic riff that is layered upon, it is a great guitar song. That is what Purling Hiss do, like Kurt Vile or  Neil Hagerty or J. Mascis it is great guitar music, it is of  the tradition of great rock, it is sublime presentation. “I Don’t Wanna Be A” is everything that a great rock song is, simple in method and lyric, there is melody, mantra and and riff. It is not fancy, but it is brilliant, the chorus is always great, every time, the solo is a dream, a victory of tone and effect. When you hear “Learning Slowly” you understand the moment he figured out the first guitar part and got to chorus, and said “Oh shit, this it!” This album is a masterful presentation of guitar and tradition, it is why they still sell guitars, ,it is the reason hours are spent on that one part, because a bunch of great parts makes great songs, albums, times, etc.

Shellac
Dude Incredible
(Touch and Go)

Shellac is not of this school of rock, though I will not contend that their school is old. That is to say, you won’t find them on Spotify, they don’t create too much hoopla around their albums, they may tour (somewhere), there are no promo streams or downloads, and I am not sure of their web presence, but none of this seems to matter or affect the band. Shellac albums are known for incredible sound quality and packaging, CD comes with the vinyl, and the vinyl version is pretty much the desired format to hear the album. Shellac albums are always brilliant lyrically and musically, they are a 30 minute collection of finely formed, excellently recorded songs. That is their draw, that is their power, the band doesn’t release or rush to release an album, but when it is done, it is an event, if only for being another in a grand catalog. Este álbum será muy increíble! You are welcome

by KMAnderson