4. The Beaches - Blame My Ex



This was just something I scrolled through and found and thought it might be up my street. Never heard of The Beaches before but apparently from Canada and this is their second album. Anyway, if you really like listening to The Bangles, which I do, you'll probably like this. It's some guitar based pop, with the occasional scuzz. Quite liked it. [6]

This sounds like my kind of thing.

poprock wrote:

This sounds like my kind of thing.

Yes it does.

Oooh, cheers for that Moot. Will defo check.

Tidal Staff picks. 

Beverly Glenn-Copeland. The Ones Ahead. Amazing. 

Now doing what I think is effectively a greatest hits. Will be absolutely smashing the whole back catalogue, there hasn't been a dud yet.

Olivia is solid. Some good stuff on there, but it really is good... For the genre.

Which in this case is a lowish bar.

Meanwhile, I've now listened to basically all of Beverly's last 4 releases on repeat all day.

One's a live album, ones a "greatest hits" and 2 lps.

All 100% amazing.

If you enjoy listening to older singers who have voices that show all that experience, think late Joni or Robert plant or bettie Lavette (music leaning more to jazz/show tune joni).

Think Beverly started as a jazz keys player/singer. Will be going back to the 70s and 80s stuff tomorrow.

Diluted Dante wrote:

3) Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023) - 04/01/24

 4) Olivia Rodrigo - Guts (2023) - 05/01/24

Dante, both are worth persisting with. Vampire was my favourite/most played song last year on Spotify Wrapped and Red Wine Supernova was a close second!

ShabbyMcCrabby wrote:

My partner went to a Chappell gig recently. Was a lot of fun apparently and she specifies a dress up theme for the show that changes each show.

I get big Amanda Palmer vibes from her, so this does not surprise me.

Olimite wrote:

Dante, both are worth persisting with. Vampire was my favourite/most played song last year on Spotify Wrapped and Red Wine Supernova was a close second!

I'm fully on board with Chappell Roan, am prepared to give Olivia a chance, only had one listen. Just put Vampire on, thats one of the ones I did like it turns out.

So Algo threw a band called SUSS at me after Beverly.

Described as Ambient SF Country. And that's 100% accurate. Wil stay in the rotation of stuff I put on when working for sure.

5. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Little Wheel Spin & Spin (1966)



Not quite as stunning as It's My Way! and generally more trad folkie sounding (she pulls from more standards here - Lady Margaret sounds like the first cousin of Matty Groves and shares a few lines).  Simple arrangements + powerful performances seem to be her thing, which ticks some major boxes for me.  The title track is magic.

Edit: Apparently this isn't her second album, meaning I've missed one called Many a Mile which doesn't appear to be available on Tidal.

Classic Hulka.

7. Buffy Sainte-Marie - I'm Gonna Be A Country Girl Again (1968)



Well don't let me stop you.  Here come the steel guitars ofc, but it's a great fit for the voice and this isn't an off-the-wrist heartache, fiddles & twang effort - there are some legit songs on here.  She's knows what she's doing (as do the session vets roped in for the sessions) and A Soulful Shade of Blue is a belter and the title track is catchy AF.  I hope she doesn't stick with this direction, but as an excursion it's well executed and I thoroughly enjoyed her trying her hand at something different.  An indulgent Nashville album could well be considered a miss-step/stinker (I don't know because I haven't checked any album ranker stuff yet), but of course I liked it.  It does run out of steam a little towards the end though (then pulls it back for a lively closer).  There's a rerecording of Now That the Buffalo's Gone on here too (from her debut).  Admittedly it turned out worse with a Marty Robbins-esque arrangement unfortunately, but it's nice to have options!

Legend of Ely, by Ely Eira.  Fairly meh, not enough going on beyond some singing.

Never mind, you've identified all the reasons I thought you would like her though!

8. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Illuminations (1969)



What a pay off!  Listened to this several times since yesterday, partly because I couldn't work it out at first but mainly because it's amazing.  It's not just the voice and delivery that's huge this time - the production is wild.  Did not expect BSM to land on psychedelic sci fi synth folk rock after a Nashville detour 5 years into her discography, but here we are.  Multi layered vocals, echo chamber effects and a liberal smattering of synth coupled with her trademark showstopping vocals give the whole thing a massive (and distinctive) sound.  One track (Adam) sounds like the Tardis warming up when it starts, which makes way for biblical imagery, swirling strings, pulsating/bouncing bass and on-point drums before eventually coming to rest, presumably back in Totter's Lane.  Suffer the Little Children is Hollis Brown performed by a banshee.  A later track (He's a Keeper of the Fire) sounds like she went down a massive Helter Skelter, took an elevator back up to the 13th Floor, pressed the Wonka Button and smashed through the roof.     

The big voice/simple arrangements of the first album are still (just about) my preference but this feels like the big one.   Truly exceptional, I love it.



Ended up doing some reading up on this one, was too legit not to want more info.  More on the synth use and the record in general here, including stuff like this:

And in 1969, when she unleashed her astounding, trailblazing sixth LP Illuminations, she became the first musician not only to release an album with vocals processed through a Buchla 100 synthesizer (the very same unit that the electronic music legend Morton Subotnik had used to compose his landmark 1967 album Silver Apples of the Moon), but the first person ever to make an album recorded using quadraphonic technology, an early precursor to surround-sound.

10. Moonshot - Buffy Sainte-Marie (1972)



11. Quiet Places - Buffy Sainte-Marie (1973)



Lumping these two in together because they lack the wow factor of some of her earlier records. Having said that, they're both good and I'm starting to wonder if she's ever put out a bad album.  Great moments (I'm pretty sure the best tracks would've been good enough to catch my attention even without prior listening) but they roll at a 3.5/5 average.

The country album seems like it might've been a one-off but Quiet Place opens with a decent cover of Why You Been Gone So Long.



Yes I will tap my toe thankyou.  And imagine Sturgill ripping through this one with The Dap Kings as a Sailor's Guide off-cut...