introducing: 3 Albums from 6 old guys

Introducing 3 Albums from 6 Old Guys

Week 1: Tin Ear, Sa-Roc, and Whiskeytown

Welcome to a new weekly blogpost/newsletter from six old (okay, middle-aged, but old compared to the people we often stand next to at shows) guys who love music. Our tastes vary, which (we hope) will make this an interesting and informative read each week. Those tastes center on indie rock but also cover hip-hop, folk, punk, funk, metal, soul, jazz, Afrobeat, and even some classical, and the myriad sub-genres within these broad categories. 

We all grew up in the 80s, came of age in the 90s, and now live in Washington DC, but our music obsessions have never stopped, and we try to listen – and see – as much as we can from wherever and whomever we can find it. While we remain rooted in where our music educations began, we love nothing more than to share, debate, and even argue with each other about what is good, bad, or just forgettable from across the decades and what came out last week.  And since we are all near or in our 50s, we still think about albums rather than just songs.

At some point, we decided it may be worth sharing with others we know each week, rather than in our own texts and the occasional Facebook posts.  With so many of our friends and colleagues bemoaning how hard it is to keep up with new music, find the gems of yesteryear, or know what to see live, we hope that we can share some of the incredible work coming out now, while also remembering the past and hopefully trying to convince some kids (although admittedly not our own) that we are still a tad cool.  

The idea is a rotating post each week, with whoever has time or the inspiration taking the lead. Maybe one person does all three albums one week, and maybe we share the next. We’ll see how it develops and what it motivates. Hopefully some good discussions, maybe some arguments, from week to week, but throughout -- a lot of discovery. And although we are hardly going to change markets or futures, if we can prompt even a couple of more sales on Bandcamp or at venues, it could even make a tiny difference to an independent artist trying to make it (or make it last).

New album: Cadastral Maps by Tin-Ear.  In 2020, I came across this Bandcamp Daily feature article about the new wave of punk bands in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, a place I have never been and know next to nothing about. The ten songs profiled in the piece concentrated on “punk” bands, but each one was just a bit different to the next, telling me there was a real scene, as opposed to a single sound, happening there. So when I saw a record by yet another band from Charlottetown, I jumped – and was not disappointed. I have a deep-seated love for lo-fi garage sounds that make you think of Olympia, WA circa 1994 – punk not in the loud or brash meaning, but in the “I don’t give a f**k” meaning. Songs are simple, lyrics are not complex, but there is a depth to the fuzz and textures of the guitars. Three of the songs come in under 2 minutes, and three more clock in between 2-3 minutes. Each of these tracks gives you more or less one idea and sound, each one a glorious if quick trip. But then just when you think you know what this album is all about, you are served a nearly 9-minute “Untitled” track that meanders, contemplates, and, yes, jams, but just reinforces that what is happening in PEI is a scene with many dimensions, rather than a defined sound. (Brad)

Album from an upcoming/recent show: The Sharecropper’s Daughter by Sa-Roc.  This late 2020 album from Atlanta-based/Ryhmesayers Inc artist Sa-Roc catches your eye before you even listen. Scrolling down the features and coming upon legends like the late MF DOOM, Black Thought, Styles P, Saul Williams, and others tells you that this is not just any other rapper. And from the first tones of her voice, without even thinking through what she’s saying, the depth, dimensions, and color of how she sounds gets you to pay close attention. Once you do, the layers unfold. In songs like “Hand of God” and “Rocwell’s America,” Sa-Roc weaves her way effortlessly among the traditional rap boast to the confessional opening about her fears and failures to the conscientious critiques about the state of America. The beats and samples do not blow you away, but they don’t need to, given the way her tone, flow, and lyrics dominate your attention. While mainstream rap continues to wrestle with the toxicity of many of its most prominent voices, Sa-Roc is a voice whose depths and meanings you will ride with and trust from start to finish. Sa-Roc played at the Black Cat in DC on Nov 10 with Sol Messiah, another Ryhmesayers MC whose album “God Cmplx” she appears on multiple times. That show ended with Sa-Roc asking everyone in the crowd to hold up their right hand and shout out loud, "I love myself." That's exactly how you feel after listening to her words and flow. (Brad)    

While mainstream rap continues to wrestle with the toxicity of many of its most prominent voices, Sa-Roc is a voice whose depths and meanings you will ride with and trust from start to finish.

Brad

Album being rediscovered (at least 10 years old): Strangers Almanac by Whiskeytown.  There’s no shortage of toxic assholes in rock music.  As evidenced by, among other things, the behavior described in the book and recently-released documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom, Ryan Adams is arguably the face of post-2000 toxic assholery (although if he was more famous, the lead singer of Brand New might stake a claim for that contemptible title).  But a recent dive back into alt-country led me once again to 1997’s Strangers Almanac by Adams’ pre-solo career/pre-tabloid band Whiskeytown.  Strangers Almanac is one of the best albums from that genre and, while it has been a long time since I’ve listened, the music holds up.  The album opens with the full-on twang of “Inn Town” and “Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight” and then moves into Replacements-influenced territory with “Yesterday’s News.”  Jokes about Adams and the song “Waiting to Derail” essentially write themselves, but it’s still a great example of late ‘90s rock.  And the song that precedes it, “Dancing with the Women at the Bar,” can now be heard as Adams’ own excuse for future bad behavior.  “16 Days” might be Whiskeytown’s best combination of country accents with a rock framework.  On this listen, the only real flaw I found was the album’s closer, “Not Home Anymore,” which I remember liking back in ’97 but now I find pretentious and overdone.  While Lizzy Goodman’s book and now movie reminded us of all the negative parts of Adams’ career, revisiting Strangers Almanac reminded me how talented Adams was before he became famous for being damaged and damaging others. (Brian)

Jokes about Adams and the song “Waiting to Derail” essentially write themselves, but it’s still a great example of late ‘90s rock.

Brian