Monday, December 31, 2018

Music Week

Music: current count 30874 [30842] rated (+32), 251 [269] unrated (-18).

Surprised I accumulated so many records given how miserable I've been all week. I've only been able to sit at the computer for more than an hour at a time the last couple days. That cut down on how much I could stream, but I did make a considerable dent in my physical CD queue: as of this moment, I have zero pending 2018 albums, and not much looking on to 2019.

I added Robert Christgau's grades to my EOY Aggregate. I've only been adding my own grades as I've collected items from other lists, so there are a lot of things I will eventually add to the list but that aren't there now. Somewhat surprised that the following Christgau-rated albums hadn't appeared in any previously compiled list (his grades, then mine, where I have one):

  • Atmosphere: Mi Vida Local (Rhymesayers) [**, **]
  • Mandy Barnett: Strange Conversation (Dame Productions/Thirty Tigers) [A-, A-]
  • Born Ruffians: Uncle Duke & the Chief (Yep Roc) [*]
  • Chris Butler & Ralph Carney: Songs for Unsung Holidays (Smog Veil) [**]
  • Chicago Farmer: Quarter Past Tonight (self-released) [A-]
  • Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba: Routes (Twelve/Eight) [A-, A-]
  • The Coathangers: Live (Suicide Squeeze) [**, **]
  • Doctor Nativo: Guatemaya (Stonetree) [A-, A-]
  • E-40: The Gift of Gab (Heavy on the Grid) [**]
  • Robbie Fulks/Linda Gail Lewis: Wild! Wild! Wild! (Bloodshot) [***, A-]
  • Gift of Gab: Rejoice! Rappers Are Rapping Again! (Giftstribution Unlimited -EP) [***, A-]
  • Hamell on Trial: The Night Guy at the Apocalypse: Profiles of a Rushing Midnight (Saustex) [A, *]
  • Clay Harper: Bleak Beauty (self-released) [B+, *]
  • Homeboy Sandman & Edan: Humble Pi (Stones Throw -EP) [A-, **]
  • Joan Jett: Bad Reputation [Music From the Original Motion Picture] (Legacy) [A-, A-]
  • George Jones & the Jones Boys: Live in Texas 1965 (Ace) [***, ?]
  • Rich Krueger: Life Ain't That Long (Rockink) [A, **]
  • John Kruth & La Societŕ dei Musici: Forever Ago (Ars Spoletium) [A-, A-]
  • Jinx Lennon: Grow a Pair!!! (Septic Tiger) [A-, *]
  • Jeffrey Lewis: Works by Tuli Kupferberg (1923-2010) (Don Giovanni) [B+, A-]
  • Mad Crush: Mad Crush (Upon This Rock -EP) [B+]
  • Wynton Marsalis Septet: United We Swing: Best of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Galas (2003-07, Blue Engine) [A-, *]
  • Walter Martin: Reminisce Bar & Grill (Family Jukebox) [*, B]
  • Mast: Thelonious Sphere Monk (World Galaxy) [A, ***]
  • Medhane: Ba Suba, Ak Jamm (Grand Closing) [*]
  • Molly Tigre: Molly Tigre (Very Special) [***, ***]
  • Maria Muldaur: Don't You Feel My Leg: The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker (The Last Music Company) [A, A]
  • Nas: Nasir (Mass Appeal/Def Jam -EP) [*, **]
  • Willie Nelson: My Way (Legacy) [*, **]
  • Grant Peeples and the Peeples Republik: Settling Scores Vol. II (Gatorbone) [***, **]
  • Primo!: Amici (Upset the Rhythm) [*]
  • Allen Ravenstine: Waiting for the Bomb (Morphius/ReR Megacorp) [*, *]
  • Ike Reilly: Crooked Love (Rock Ridge Music) [**]
  • Riton & Kah-Lo: Foreign Ororo (Riton Time) [A-, A-]
  • Derek Smalls: Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing) (BMG) [*]
  • Sidi Touré: Toubalbero (Thrill Jockey) [***, **]
  • The Chandler Travis Three-O: Backward Crooked From the Sunset (Iddy Biddy) [*]
  • Wreckless Eric: Construction Time & Demolition (Southern Domestic) [A-, ***]
  • I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits (Piranha) [A-, A-]
  • Outlaws & Armadillos: Country's Roaring '70s (Legacy) [B+, **]

Those are all 2018 releases. Christgau's Dean's List will no doubt include his usual slew of late finds, but they fall out of this page. List is pretty long, but would be longer had I not already counted lists from known Christgauvians like Chris Monsen (Mekons 77, Amy Rigby, Elza Soares) and John Smallwood (Rigby, Lyrics Born, Wussy: What Heaven Is Like). I'll get to more as I find them, and at some point add in my own thus-far missing grades. Also results from Jazz Critics Poll, once they become public (soon, I think).

I have 175 EOY lists compiled to date, totalling 1798 + 46 albums (latter are reissues; very few lists focus on them so far). Not sure how many more I will pick up before I give up. The effort came to a standstill ten or so days ago, and I doubt I'll ever pick up the slack. The top of the list is fairly stable at this point (not that I've been paying close attention). My main interest in the list is to identify records worth checking out, so my intention now is to focus more on lists that line up well with my own interests. That probably means I've seen enough metal already. On the other hand, the current jazz listings are only about one-third as deep as the Jazz Critics Poll standings (154 vs. 487 new albums) and one-fourth as deep as my own personal ratings (176 vs. 678 new + old albums).

New records rated this week:

  • The 14 Jazz Orchestra: The Future Ain't What It Used to Be (2018 [2019], Dabon Music): [cd]: B
  • The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (2018, Dirty Hit/Polydor): [r]: B
  • Sam Broverman: A Jewish Boy's Christmas (2018, Brovermusic): [cd]: B
  • City Girls: Period (2018, Quality Control): [r]: B
  • City Girls: Girl Code (2018, Quality Control): [r]: B
  • Julien Desprez/Luís Lopes: Boa Tarde (2016 [2018], Shhpuma): [cdr]: B+(**)
  • Kit Downes: Obsidian (2016 [2018], ECM): [r]: B
  • Jake Ehrenreich: A Treasury of Jewish Christmas Songs (2017 [2018], self-released): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Peter Evans/Agusti Fernandez/Barry Guy: Free Radicals at DOM (2017 [2018], Fundacja Sluchaj): [bc]: B+(**)
  • Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Light (2017, 1st & 15): [r]: B+(**)
  • Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Wave (2018, 1st & 15th): [r]: A-
  • Nils Frahm: All Melody (2018, Erased Tapes): [r]: B+(**)
  • Gaika: Basic Volume (2018, Warp): [r]: B+(*)
  • Nabihah Iqbal: Weighing of the Heart (2017, Ninja Tune): [r]: B+(*)
  • Thomas Johansson: Home Alone (2016 [2018], Tammtz): [r]: B+(**)
  • Jones Jones [Larry Ochs/Mark Dresser/Vladimir Tarasov]: A Jones in Time Saves Nine (2016 [2018], NoBusiness): [cdr]: B+(***)
  • Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears (2018, Transgressive): [r]: B+(*)
  • Doug MacDonald Trio: View of the City (2016 [2018], Blujazz): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Roberto Magris: World Gardens (2015 [2018], JMood): [cd]: B+(***)
  • Mac Miller: Swimming (2018, REMember Music/Warner Bros.): [r]: B+(*)
  • Liudas Mockünas: Hydro 2 (2017 [2018], NoBusiness): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Joel Moore/Nick Mizock/Paul Scherer/Michael Barton/Paul Townsend: Magnetic EP (2018, Blujazz): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Mřster!: States of Minds (2018, Hubro, 2CD): [r]: B+(*)
  • Simon Nabatov/Barry Guy/Gerry Hemingway: Luminous (2015 [2018], NoBusiness): [cd]: A-
  • Judy Night Quintet: Sliding on Glass: Live at 210 (2018, Blujazz): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Kresten Osgood: Kresten Osgood Quintet Plays Jazz (2018, ILK, 2CD): [cd]: A-
  • Otherworld Ensemble: Live at Malmitalo (2017 [2018], Edgetone): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Alister Spence and Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe: Imagine Meeting You Here (2017 [2019], Alister Spence Music): [cd]: B+(***)
  • Kristen Strom: Moving Day: The Music of John Shifflett (2018, OA2): [cd]: B
  • The United States Air Force Band Airmen of Note: Best of the Jazz Heritage Series Volume 1 (2018, self-released): [cd]: B-

Grade (or other) changes:

  • Maria Muldaur: Don't You Feel My Leg: The Naughty, Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker (2018, The Last Music Company): [cd]: [was A-] A

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

  • Jon Lundbom Big Five Chord: Harder on the Outside (Hot Cup): February 1

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