Album Review: Aloe Blacc- Lift Your Spirit

It happened as I watched the NFL draft earlier this month.  "I'm the Man," the ubiquitous hit by Aloe Blacc, was used as bumper music during the broadcast.  Already weary of the song, I began to actively loathe "I'm the Man." 

Burnout was inevitable.  The song's blockbuster potential was immediately apparent when it popped up in December.  But what about the rest of Blacc's album Lift Your Spirit?

Well, it's more of the same.  The third track is a version of "Wake Me Up," the inescapable Avicii hit featuring Blacc's vocal.  The shameless hooks of "Here Today" and "Can You Do This" make the biggest hits of One Direction and Ariana Grande seem likes studies in subtlety.

"Owe It All," the closing track that sounds like a late period gem by the Four Tops, is one of two or three selections that successfully seduced me.  I have little doubt that several additional songs will win me over when I see Blacc perform.

I have nothing against blatantly commercial music, but Lift Your Spirit resembles a collection of expertly crafted advertising jingles.


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I reviewed Tony Bennett's concert at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on Friday.

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Sunstroke?  I saw ghosts at Union Station yesterday.

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My Brothers & Sisters' "How To Move What To Wear" was my pick of the week for KCUR's Local Listen segment.  It's my favorite song from the band's Violet Music: Volume One album.

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Metatone's video for "When the Dreams Come" is excellent.

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The trailer for a 1974 music festival in Sedalia is hilarious.

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A recent edition of Barry Lee's Signal To Noise program on KKFI featured music from the collection of the late Anne Winter.  (Via Tim Finn.)

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Herb Jeffries, "the bronze buckaroo," has died.  (Tip via BGO.)

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Motivational Jumpsuit, the latest outburst from Guided By Voices, is unaccountably excellent.  RIYL: Rubber Soul, weirdos, Robyn Hitchcock.

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Medeski Martin & Wood's collaboration with Nels Cline on The Woodstock Sessions, Vol. 2 contains plenty of fine skronk, funk and noodling. Here's a track.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Sidewise- Made of Matches

I lost track of the number of paying jobs I've had when the number passed 25.  Maybe the bots at Social Security or the IRS will sort it all out for me someday.  I've disliked a lot of those jobs, but I'm proud of almost all of them. 

Factories, warehouses, upscale office complexes, and yes, record stores, are among my former workplaces.  I've worn steel-toe boots and fancy ties.  The wide range of settings has erased many of my biases. 

That's why I have little patience for people who feel compelled to go out of their way to bash bands like Nickelback.  Not only do I not dislike Nickelback, I sincerely like Puddle of Mudd.  Many of the band's original fans have been my co-workers.  I've also worked alongside guys who consider Rockfest the highlight of their social calendars.

I have nothing but admiration for Sidewise's new album Made of Matches.  Sure, the Kansas City band is simply rearranging pieces of songs by the likes of Saliva, Five Finger Death Punch and Seether, but the recording rings true. 

Sidewise doesn't pretend to be innovative.  And there are times when I simply want to unwind to loud and unchallenging music.  I just spent a couple hours in the heat hacking at poison ivy.  Made of Matches sounds perfect right now.


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My thoughts about Saturday's tribute to the Jazz at Massey Hall concert are posted at Plastic Sax.

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Tim Finn reports that the Beautiful Bodies recently signed to Epitaph Records.

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Cowboy Indian Bear has released the 7-song EP Vandeventer.

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"Fix" is a new track by Reach.

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Teddy Dibble talks about records again.

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Tech N9ne released a video for "Hard".

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Jerry Vale has died.

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Da Cruz's Disco e Progresso is enthralling.  Here's a video for the opening track.  RIYL: Jorge Ben, Brasil, Chic.

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Pigeon John's Encino Man is RIYL: Kid Cudi, wild parties hosted by smart nerds, the B52s.

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The ECM player for Driftwood, guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel's collaboration with Larry Grenadier and Brian Blade, has my name written all over it.

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Curtis Harding's Soul Power is RIYL: Hanni El Khatib, American music, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears.

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Holy moly!  Down's Down IV – Part II is excellent.  RIYL: Black Sabbath, sludge, Masters of Reality.

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Marie et Marion, the latest release by Anonymous 4, rubs me the wrong way.  RIYL: incense, Chanticleer, church pews.

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Everyday Robots, the wistful and ramshackle new album by Damon Albarn, is RIYL: Paul Weller, merrie olde England, Thom Yorke.

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Sérgio Dias of Os Mutantes includes an album by the Swingle Singers (!) on his list of influential albums.

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I hadn't missed Dipset.  Here's Cam'ron's comeback song "Dipsh*ts".

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I began prepping for doomsday immediately after watching Die Antwoord's video for "Pitbull".  (Via S.S.)

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: St. Paul & the Broken Bones- Half the City

At the advent of the CD revolution I set out to build a comprehensive library of classic soul.  Each week I'd diligently purchase a title by the likes of Percy Sledge, Al Green, James Carr and Joe Tex. I scrimped and saved to acquire pricey box sets compiling the works of James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Stax Records.

I also made seeing the giants a top priority.  I took in multiple performances by the likes of Charles Brown, Solomon Burke, Bobby Bland, Etta James, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Sease, Ike Turner and James Brown.

My obsession has a downside.  I've never managed to muster the same level of enthusiasm as my peers for soul revivalists like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.  A lot of these new acts are undeniably great, but when Millie Jackson, Jimmy Scott, Bobby Womack, Charlie Wilson and Bobby Rush are still out there doing it, it's hard for me to get worked into a lather by expert mimics.

That said, I'm smitten by Half City, the new release by St. Paul & the Broken Bones.  The throwback approach of the Alabama-based band works largely because vocalist Paul Janeway doesn't try to be what he's not.  He's obviously obsessed with Otis Redding, but much like the late, great Eddie Hinton, he's not an embarrassing parodist. 

St. Paul & the Broken Bones merit their prestigious position in my collection between the Staple Singers and the Stylistics.


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I reviewed a concert by Slayer, Exodus and Suicidal Tendencies.

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I contributed to a feature on Dominique Sanders for KCUR's Up To Date.

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Tech N9ne's Strangeulation by the the numbers: the album topped Billboard's rap, R&B and hip-hop charts last week and landed at #5 on the Top 200.

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I hadn't realized that the Dan Conn Collection at the Marr Sound Archives existed until a link posted by There Stands the Glass reader BGO led me to the discovery.  Dan, a former co-worker, introduced me to the music of artists ranging from Red Garland to Doc Watson.

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Here's another nice video feature on Radkey.

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Anyone who likes vintage Approach and Miles Bonny will love the new video for "Chief".

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The ninth episode of the second season of the KC Cypher Series is not worth your time.

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The highlight of Dolly Parton's charming Blue Smoke is a cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."  RIYL: Silver Dollar City, Elvis Presley, America.

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If Outkast and Kelis aren't booked in Kansas City prior to the festival, I may travel to St. Louis in September for Loufest.

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I innocently hit "play" on the Juilliard String Quartet's Elliott Carter: The Five String Quartets on a recent afternoon.  After several interruptions, I finished the epic cycle five hours later.  It's stunning. 

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From a purely sonic perspective, Michael Jackson's Xscape is an extraordinary achievement.  Tracks like "Blue Gangsta" sound as if they were recorded last month.  M.J.'s original demos are also worth a listen.

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I'm hardly a Black Keys fanboy, but I suspect Dan Auerbach's production of Nikki Lane's All or Nothin' is responsible for the album's excellence.  RIYL: Whiskeytown, something borrowed, Rosanne Cash.

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Love in da club.  Troy Ave's BSB Vol. 4 is RIYL: 50 Cent, prison, Wu-Tang Clan.

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Back On the Controls, ostensibly a new album by Lee "Scratch" Perry, baffles me.  RIYL: eternity, Mad Professor, confusion.

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Lantlôs' Melting Sun isn't quite as good as many reviews would have you believe.  RIYL: Deftones, dreaming out loud, Isis.

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Jody Stephens of Big Star is featured in a segment of "What's In My Bag."

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Joe Louis Walker is challenging Buddy Guy for the title of the most vital blues veteran of 2014 on Hornet's Nest.

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CNN aired a 15-minute documentary about Clipse.

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My cousin is in fine form on Virtuoso Rossini Arias.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Tech N9ne- Strangeulation

The embedded video for the cypher version of the title track of Strangeulation encapsulates everything that's both great and awful about Tech N9ne's empire.  The undisputed Kansas City King is capable of sending shivers down my spine with his brilliance on one track and triggering my gag reflex with his lusty predilections on the next song.  Just like the varied quality of his collaborators on this cypher, Strangeulation is a real mixed bag.


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I reviewed a concert by John Scofield's Organic Trio on Saturday.

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I  occasionally make music selections for KCUR's Up To Date program.  Kantorei of Kansas City's "Fantasy on La Bamba" aired Friday.

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Largely because XTA-C gets a shout-out in U-Neek's "Kansas City", I'm giving the song a pass.  (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Trumpeter Joe Wilder has died.

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Triptykon's Melana Chasmata is exquisite art-metal.  RIYL: Tool, H. R. Giger, Nine Inch Nails.

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I'm certainly not a member of the jazz police, but Badbadnotgood remain underwhelming on III.  RIYL: good ideas on paper, OFWGKTA, hype.

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The curatorial choices made on Road Shows, Volume 3, Sonny Rollins' latest live album, are very interesting.

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Naná Vasconcelos chatted with Gilles Peterson.

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Steel Panther's All You Can Eat isn't nearly as good as the parodists' previous albums, but it still has plenty of hilarious moments.

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God loves mediocre.  Even though I'm predisposed to love Atmosphere, I recognize that Southsiders is just ok. RIYL: Eyedea, the Twin Cities, Mac Lethal.

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I wish I liked Marrill Garbus' music as much as I like her.  I can take or leave most of Tune-Yards' Nikki Nack.  RIYL: David Byrne, playgrounds, St. Vincent.

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Ramshackle Serenade, a new effort by the trio of Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings and Bill Stewart, is RIYL: Grant Green, overlooked excellence, Shirley Scott.

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Not only did I listen to the entirety of Skrillex's new album, I truly liked it.  Recess is RIYL: frat parties, DJ Kool's "Let Me Clear My Throat," red solo cups.

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Blueprint's Respect the Architect is the best backpack rap album I've heard this year.  Even so, it's at the bottom of my Best Albums of 2014 playlist.  RIYL: Brother Ali, corny sincerity, Aesop Rock.

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Tech N9ne will perform at the Gathering of the Juggalos 2014.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Skating Polly- Fuzz Steilacoom

Unlike many of my colleagues, I did nothing to observe the twentieth anniversary of the death of Kurt Cobain last month.  I'd rather focus on what's happening now than ruminate on the past.  Besides, Cobain lives in the music of Skating Polly.  The stepsisters from Oklahoma pay tribute to Cobain in the best way possible- by rocking in the unkept tradition of the icon.  It's no accident that the new album Fuzz Steilacoom sounds like a classic recording from the vaults of K Records.  The project was overseen by the label's Calvin Johnson.  The lead track "Alabama Movies" contains a few of the album's many undiluted moments of greatness.


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I reviewed Fitz and the Tantrums's concert on Saturday.

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Ensemble Ibérica, Beau Blesoe's new performance group, has announced its 2014 season.

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Cowboy Indian Bear made a video for "Ruffian".

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I have real problems with Tech N9ne's "Over It".  Strangeulation was released today.

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Don't believe the hype. Ratking makes hip-hop for people who like the idea of the music more than actually listening to it.  So It Goes probably sounds great in 30-second preview clips, but it's a rough slog when consumed in its entirety.  RIYL: the worst Terror Squad album, hype, the worst Wu-Tang Clan album.

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I'm amused to see that Macroscope, the new release by the Nels Cline Singers, is being embraced by people who would never consider listening to a John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Arto Lindsay or Marc Ribot album.  The entertaining recording combines elements of all four guitarists.  What's next- a Barney Kessel revival among Wilco fans?

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Coltsblood's Into The Unfathomable Abyss sounds as if it was made by the stoner kids next door.  And the amateurish quality is precisely why I love it the new album by the British sludge metal band.  

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What if Pat Metheny kept making the same music he made in 1978?  Mark Egan, the bassist on those early Pat Metheny Group albums, recreates that sound on his new album About Now.

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Given the participants' track records, Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band's Landmark merits repeated listening, but I'll admit to being totally underwhelmed.

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Iggy Azalea's The New Classic isn't.  Gwen Stefani, photogenic people, Nikki Minaj.

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Add me to the long list of metal fans who are losing their minds over Lord Mantis' Death Mask.  RIYL: new depths of heaviness, Wormrot, doomsday.

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Of the artists performing at this month's Soundset festival that I haven't seen in the past 12 months, Nas and EarlWolf are the biggest attractions.

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Stanton Moore's Conversations is a straight-ahead jazz trio album.  RIYL: Ellis Marsalis, versatility, Karriem Riggins.  (Tip via J.F.)

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Whoop whoop!  Murs has gone full… well, you know.

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Harvey Mason, the drummer of Headhunters and Fourplay, revisits '70s instrumental funk on Chameleon.

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Anyone familiar with the work of jazz/jam guitarist Charlie Hunter won't be surprised that he and Scott Amendola recorded an EP of five covers of songs by The Cars.

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"They Come In Gold" is a track from the forthcoming album by Shabazz Palaces.  I don't think the duo played the song at the Middle of Map fest in April.

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Here's an analysis of the music produced by L. Ron Hubbard.  (Via J.F.)

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I had high hopes for Dust Moth's Dragon Mouth. It sounds great but the songwriting is lacking.  RIYL: Deftones, the intersection of metal and shoe gaze, My Bloody Valentine.

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It's great to see that Bun B has it together in his interview with Nardwuar.

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Here's the trailer for the documentary: B.B. King: The Life of Riley.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Leon Russell- Life Journey

A handful of late-career documents by great artists including Charlie Rich's Pictures and Paintings, Solomon Burke's Don't Give Up On Me, Chet Baker's Let's Get Lost and Johnny Cash's American Recordings are among my favorite albums.  Leon Russell seems to have had those recordings on his mind during the sessions for his new Life Journey.  There's no thrill of the new in hearing Russell groan through "Georgia," "That Lucky Old Sun" and "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," but the tracks seem definitive.  Life Journey is the Russell album that is likely to stay in my rotation for the remainder of my life.

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Welcome to the roots edition of There Stands the Glass.  It's against my instincts to segregate genres, but I feel as if I've been neglecting folk, blues and country at this site.  It's time to make amends.

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The Kansas City Star published a nice remembrance of the late accordionist Don Lipovac.

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Rodney Crowell is in top form on Tarpaper Sky.  RIYL: Townes Van Zandt, giants among us, Johnny Cash.

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The highlight of Carlene Carter's decent Carter Girl is a duet with Willie Nelson on "Troublesome Waters."  The album is RIYL: Patty Loveless, the way things used to be, Rodney Crowell.

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It's shocking to hear Eli Paperboy Reed mimicking the pop sound of Bruno Mars on Nights Like This.  I can't decide if it's the most disappointing album of the year or a daring change of direction.  RIYL: Justin Timberlake, bad advice, Jersey Boys.

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Robert Cray's In My Soul is exceptionally solid.  RIYL: Junior Parker, consistency, Lowell Fulson.

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9 Dead Alive, the album by Rodrigo y Gabriela, is extraordinarily quiet.  RIYL: the late Paco de Lucia, NPR, Andres Segovia.

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The sound quality of Chuck E. Weiss' Red Beans & Weiss is atrocious.  And that's just one reason to love it.  RIYL: Hollywood Fats, real deal hipsters, Jimmy Reed.

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Bobby Rush's Decisions is a mixed bag.  Here's a high-quality video for "Another Murder in New Orleans".

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The title of Keb' Mo's Bluesamericana says it all.  RIYL: pandering, James Taylor, pablum.

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The Asylum Street Spankers are just as delightful as ever on The Last Laugh.  RIYL: hootenannies, 8 1/2 Souvenirs, the old Austin.

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Blues man Gary Clark Jr.'s Blak and Blu features contributions from Bilal, Big K.R.I.T., Robert Glasper and Talib Kweli.

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Jeff Black's Folklore is a fine collection of honest songs about subjects that are often extremely difficult.  RIYL: Guy Clark, sincerity, Greg Brown.

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Country star Dierks Bentley splits the difference between bluegrass and pap on Riser.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

DJ E-Z Rock, 1968-2014

A framed copy of the 1988 album It Takes Two by  Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock has hung in my office for years. The well-designed art serves as an excellent conversation starter.  As far as I can tell, everybody loves the title track.  When I walked into my office a few months ago, I discovered that the frame had fallen from the wall and broken glass had gouged the cover.  DJ E-Z Rock, aka Rodney Bryce, died Sunday.


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Tim Finn wrote a comprehensive profile of Kristie Stremel.

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Accordionist Don Lipovac has died.

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Lee Dresser of the Krazy Kats has died.

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Here's footage of 17-year-old Akshay Dinaker sitting in with Roger Wilder's trio at Broadway Jazz Club.

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The eighth episode of the current season of the KC Cypher Series is unimpressive.

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The Kansas City Star provides an update on the Creepyface case.

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DJ Rashad has died.  He performed with Chance the Rapper at Liberty Hall in Lawrence last November.

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Habib Koité's Soô is very nice, but I can't completely connect with the Malian's new album.

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My infatuation with European jazz continues unabated.  Kasper Staub Trio's Havnepladen is RIYL: Tord Gustavsen, swing-free jazz, Tomasz Stanko.

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April isn't over and I've already listened to about 150 albums released in 2014.  I've skipped through many more that don't appeal to me.  My Top Albums of 2014 playlist at Spotify contains a single track from each of my 50 favorites.  St. Vincent and Kelis are currently battling for the top spot.  The rest of the playlist will almost certainly undergo dramatic transformations during the next eight months.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Takuya Kuroda- Rising Son

My refusal to disavow smooth jazz continues to shock many friends and readers.  I happily attend a handful of smooth jazz concerts every year and regularly listen to the music without a trace of irony.  The artists I most admire in the format aren't necessarily the purveyors of the stuff that's played in elevators.  Roy Ayers, the Crusaders, George Duke, Bob James and Lonnie Liston Smith are among the artists I adore.  Takuya Kuroda shares my love of the work of those musicians.  The trumpeter's soulful new album Rising Son includes an exceptional cover of Ayers' "Everybody Loves the Sunshine."  Reclassifying the music as acid jazz hasn't done much to revive the form's popularity.  In spite of solid promotion by Blue Note Records, the new album's current sales ranking at Amazon is #13,382.  Here's the EPK for the unfairly neglected recording.


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I reviewed Sevendust's concert Thursday at the Midland theater.

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Latenight Callers made a beautiful video for "Tourniquets"

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The Strive created a video for "Keep Dreaming".

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"Bye Felicia" is a new track by MarksMyBarber & Kansas Smitty.

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Duck Sauce's Quack is RIYL: "Disco Duck," K-Tel, "Disco Inferno."  And Barry Gibb help me- I really like it.

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The Encyclopedia of Arto promises to be a handy guide to the work of Arto Lindsay.

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Neneh Cherry's new album doesn't do much for me, but "Everything" indicates that she still knows how to make a striking video.

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Hood Internet's "Digital Humpty" tickles my pleasure centers.

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Kris Bowers' "History of Jazz Piano" is pretty great.

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1987 forever!  The feedback-laden squall of Perfect Pussy's Say Yes To Love appeals to my nostalgic side.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

All the Young Punks

I've yet to tell Steve Pick that he was once one of my heroes.

Soon after I became obsessed with bands like the Sex Pistols, the Specials, the Buzzcocks and most significantly, the Clash, I encountered Jet Lag at a record store.  With internet and cable still in the future and with mainstream media yet to acknowledge the underground, the commentary in the St. Louis-based fanzine served as a treasure map that led me to new sounds.

Pick recalls this era in a new interview.

"In those days, you could be beaten up, attacked, because you liked the Sex Pistols or the Clash or Elvis Costello. If you weren't beaten up or attacked, you would be threatened, or called a 'fag.' It was that dramatic." 

It's true.  I endured many beatdowns in high school that were ostensibly based on a skinny tie or PiL t-shirt.  I never disavowed my allegiance to the locker room staples of Led Zeppelin and Van Halen but my open affection for "new wave" was a punishable offense.  My love of Michael Jackson, Lakeside and Donna Summer further antagonized my adversaries. 

My taste in music has since diverged with Steve's, but this post serves as a belated acknowledgment of his influence during my formative years.


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My notes on Saturday's outing by the Brad Mehldau Trio are at Plastic Sax.

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The Kansas City Business Journal reports on the unlikely transformation of El Torreon.

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Live and B Sides is the latest release by Quiet Corral.

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Forgive the blasphemy: Caetano Veloso sounds as if he's following rather than leading on Abracaco.  RIYL: failed experiments, St. Vincent, geniuses living in the moment. 

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Balani Show Super Hits: Electronic Street Parties from Mali is astounding.  RIYL: Oumou Sangare, surprises, M.I.A..  (Tip via Big Steve.)

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Unreleased Led Zeppelin to the rescue.  (Of course I'm excited.)

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Ana Tijoux's Vengo disappointed me.  RIYL: Dessa, blandness, Ozomatli.

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Even though I'm a proud member of the ol' Chevrolet set, I'm charmed by Sabina's jet-setting Toujours.  RIYL: Nico, passports, Rufus Wainwright.

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Jello Biafra is featured in an episode of "Cratediggers".  I hadn't realized that he's an obsessive music nerd. (My brother!)

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Future's "I Won" is gross.

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Homeboy Sandman raps about vegetarian food on "Fat Belly".  I've given his sketchy project White Sands repeated listens, an indication that 2014 is shaping up as a terrible year for hip-hop.

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Reunited and it feels so good: Dave and Phil Alvin.

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Kelis' Food will be released tomorrow.  It's my most highly anticipated album of 2014.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Nas- Illmatic XX

A common theme in alien abduction movies is the victim's inability to account for an inexplicable loss of time.  It happened to me this week.  Instead of getting probed by lusty Martians, I simply hit play on the new reissue of Nas' Illmatic.  The wormhole effect elicited by twenty-year-old tracks like "One Time 4 Your Mind" made me oblivious to the outside world.  Hey Nas- what do you want from me?  Leave me alone!


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I saw John Cale for the first time last night.  Here's my review.

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The Museum of Dead People in my basement contains several albums and CDs by Jesse Winchester.  But I never saw the man perform and I never really connected with his music.  Only covers of Winchester's material- Ted Hawkins' rendition of "Biloxi" is a prime example- resonated with me.  Winchester died last week.

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The film portion of this weekend's Middle of the Map Fest features several music movies.

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Stik Figa released The Pookey Tape this week.

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Here's a most welcome blast from the past: live footage of BCR performing at Harlings in 1995.  The expression of the young woman dancing in front of the single camera reflects my affection for Black Crack Revue.

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When worlds collide.

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Brook Tuley of Bloodbirds released First Midnight.

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An instrumental version of Romeo Santos' Formula, Vol. 2 could conceivably make by year-end top albums list.  The blend of pop and bachata is intoxicating.  But man, I just can't take Santos's smarmy ad-libs.  The feature by Rhymes-with-Snake on the seventh track adds insult to injury.

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Vampire's self-titled album is great.  RIYL: death metal, Slayer, vampires.

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Snarky Puppy, hailed by many observers as a band capable of resurrecting interest in jazz, strikes me as an unholy mashup of Steely Dan and the Brecker Brothers.  Here's a sample (note the impressive view count).

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Chuck E. Weiss makes only three selections for "What's In My Bag?".  And it's possibly the best episode yet.

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I like what I've heard of Phronesis' new live album Life To Everything.  RIYL: Medeski Martin & Wood, the sound of people cheering for a piano trio, the Bad Plus.

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John McLaughlin's new The Boston Record is seventies-tastic.  RIYL: Mahavishnu Orchestra, solos, Jaco Pastorius.

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Woods' With Light and with Love is a righteous jam.  RIYL: If I Could Only Remember My Name, patchouli, All Things Must Pass.

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Emmure's "Like LaMotta" is this week's palate cleanser. 

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Gee Watts- 199X

Gee Watts is obsessed with Kendrick Lamar.  And why not?  Lamar is arguably the most important rapper alive. He also gave Watts' career a kick start by contributing a few bars to the Kansas City rapper's track "Watts R.I.O.T." last year.  Unfortunately, Watts' new album 199X sounds like an extended homage to Lamar's groundbreaking album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.

Worse still, Watts isn't even the star of his own album.  The poetry of Purpose on the tracks "Mourning Soul" and "Hide & Seek" provide 199X's best moments.  Only on the sorrowful "Hide & Seek" and the hip-hop collage "Deeper Than Rap" can Watts' true potential be easily discerned.

During the opening moments of 199X, Watts admits that he "feel(s) like I might have let the town down."  I can't speak for anyone else, but he let me down.  I'm not about to jump off Watts' bandwagon, but I'm convinced that he has much more to offer than than can be heard on the disappointing 199X.


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I reviewed Dream Theater's concert at the Uptown Theater on Wednesday.

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I love the fact that there's a song titled "'02 Boschee".  Unfortunately, I don't love Chase Compton's composition.

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Slowly Rolling Camera created an appealing video for "Dream a Life".  RIYL: Portishead, jazz that's not jazz, Soul II Soul.

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Cloud Nothings' Here and Nowhere is RIYL: Japandroids, college radio in 1987, Fugazi.

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Free Aesop Rock!

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I think Steel Panther is hilarious.  (I'm a 14-year-old boy at heart.)

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I realize that it's an ignorant thing to suggest, but Tinariwen's Emmaar is a bit, um, samey.  RIYL: John Lee Hooker, repetition, Ali Farka Touré. 

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Originality isn't the strong suit of Black Label Society.  I adore Catacombs of the Black Vatican anyway.  RIYL: Ozzy, sledgehammers, Slash.

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Ibibio Sound Machine's self-titled album is RIYL: Angélique Kidjo, world parties, Antibalas.

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I'm unable to resist the charms of Tune-Yard's "Wait for a Minute".  RIYL: Graceland, tomorrow, Reflektor.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Surface Noise at Ink's Middle of the Map Fest

I don't share the musical sensibilities of the organizers of Ink's Middle of the Map Fest.  That doesn't mean that I couldn't find plenty to enjoy last weekend.  I caught at least two sets at each of the event's six stages in the 17 hours I logged at the festival.  All of my favorite performances, however, took place at the Riot Room.  Here's the top five:

• Wolf Eyes- searing noise
• Reggie and the Full Effect- a glorious mess
• Bummer- Olathe grunge
• Shabazz Palaces- interstellar hip-hop
• Josh Berwanger Band- Kansas power-pop

Some of my commentary is incorporated into reports here and here.


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Your Friend's session for KJHK at the KU Natural History Museum is impressive. 

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I ponder Mike Dillon's Band of Outsiders at Plastic Sax.

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Wayne Henderson of the Jazz Crusaders has died.

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Atmosphere's "Kanye West" is a bit disappointing.

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The European piano trio Phronesis is doing interesting things.

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Dave Koz's rendition of the "Game of Thrones" theme has gone viral.

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B.B. King's performances continue to deteriorate.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image of James Dewees by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Shearwater, Death Vessel and Jesca Hoop at the Horseshoe Tavern

Tourism bureaus take note- music tourism isn't limited to major festivals.

On my first trip to Toronto in 1999, I saw Royal Trux at the famous El Mocambo in Toronto.  Fifteen years later, I made a beeline for the renowned Horseshoe Tavern to catch a triple bill of Shearwater, Death Vessel and Jesca Hoop.  (I also visited Massey Hall and the Sony Centre.)

Along with about 225 Canadians, I paid $15 to enter the room that looks a lot like the 39th Street version of Kansas City's Parody Hall.  Hoop, a former nanny for Tom Waits' brood, opened the show with a flighty solo set.  Her dusky voice is her strongest asset.

Death Vessel was the primary musical draw for me.  Blind Pilot and Bon Iver excepted, Death Vessel is the best chamber folk band I've seen.  Joel Thibodeau, the band's primary vocalist, resembles a young Paul Simon.  (Don't believe me? See for yourself.)  The remainder of the ensemble is similarly intriguing.

I've never been able to get into Shearwater.  I left thirty minutes into the headliner's set.


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I reviewed St. Vincent's concert Monday at Liberty Hall and Todd Rundgren's appearance at the VooDoo Lounge on Thursday.

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The sixth installment of the second season of the KC Cypher Series is salvaged by the Phantom.

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Stik Figa and DJ Sku go "Back 2 Kansas".

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John Velghe & the Prodigal Sons were captured in a 909 session.

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House music pioneer Frankie Knuckles has died.

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Here's a portion of Kelis' amazing performance at SXSW.

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I've yet to encounter a compilation of Bob Dylan covers on which I didn't find at least something to appreciate.  The new collection Bob Dylan in the 80's: Volume One contains several gems.  I immediately skipped to the slam dunk of Craig Finn interpreting "Sweetheart Like You," but other keepers include Carl Broemel's version of "Death Is Not the End" and Gene Ween and Slash's take on "Wiggle Wiggle."

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It's nice to see Carlene Carter back on the scene.

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Range of Light, S. Carey's delicate new chamber folk album, is RIYL: Bon Iver, the Garden of Eden, Iron & Wine.

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A few tracks on Beats Antique's A Thousand Faces - Act 2 are delightful.  RIYL: Renaissance fairs, Bassnectar, Cirque du Soleil.

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Before Jesca Hoop performed at the Horseshoe Tavern, the Mekons' "Empire of the Senseless" boomed through the sound system.  I watched three guys Shazam the great song as I realized I haven't listened to Rock 'n' Roll in years.  My priorities are all screwed up.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Kraftwerk at the Sony Centre in Toronto

A potentially stodgy concert by a quartet of immobile men with an average age of 57 was transformed into a visually exhilarating experience by lavish 3D effects in Toronto on Saturday.

I laughed hysterically as I was repeatedly slapped in the face by virtual flying objects including letters and spaceships during Kraftwerk's performance at the Sony Centre.  The members of the groundbreaking band stood behind podiums as stunning images hovered and flew over the capacity audience of 3,200. 

The concert had been sold out for weeks, but I pulled the trigger when the best seats in the house were released a few hours before the show.  Situated in the center about 15 rows back, I reveled in the perfect sound reproduction and outlandish display. 

I'm not a Kraftwerk fanatic but I reckoned that Saturday's performance was probably the only chance I'd ever have to see the innovators.  The impulsive gamble paid off.  Not only was it the second most visually stimulating concert I've seen (Kanye West's Yeezus tour may never be topped), the show has caused me to begin rethinking my relationship with all electronic music.

The Toronto Star and Exclaim offer proper reviews of the concert.


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Adam Faucett is an Arkansas-based singer-songwriter.  His astonishing new album Blind Water Finds Blind Water is RIYL: Jason Isbell, Winter's Bone, Steve Earle.

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The Men's Tomorrow's Hits is a hoot.  RIYL: Alex Chilton, scuzz, the Flamin' Groovies.

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Excerpts from a new ECM release by Benedicte Maurseth and Åsne Valland Nordli are beautiful.  RIYL: Márta Sebestyén, Game of Thrones, Anonymous 4.

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Linda Thompson is featured in a lovely episode of "What's In My Bag?"

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by a sidekick of There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: The Mosh Lives Tour at Aftershock

As I stood in line outside the men's room at Aftershock on Saturday, I witnessed a group of strangers bonding over their military service.  Enlisted men with close-cropped hair swapped literal and figurative war stories with shaggy veterans.  The encounter made me proud to be a metal fan. 

I paid $20 to bang my head and push and shove the other members of the capacity audience of 450.  Emmure headlined a six-band bill that also featured Volumes, Thy Art Is Murder, Gideon, Sworn In and On The Shoulders Of Giants.

Thy Art is Murder, a gnarly Australian band, gave my favorite performance.  Violent songs like "Reign of Darkness" and "The Purest Strain of Hate" almost incited a jubilant riot.  There are worse ways to die than getting trampled in a mosh pit in Merriam, Kansas. 

Tuscaloosa's Gideon was almost as riveting.  Hearing the sweaty dudes in the mosh pit shout along to every hardcore outburst without breaking stride impressed me. 

Volumes, the Los Angeles-based band I had been most excited about seeing, was enormously disappointing.  I was surprised to find that the two vocalists were bros.  I can live with that, but their total frat move antics and the band's thin sound were unacceptable.

When you're sandwiched between Thy Art Is Murder and Emmure, that weak sh*t just doesn't cut it.  After all, "The Key To Keeping the Show Fresh Is… I'm Dead".


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My notes on Regina Carter's performance Sunday at Helzberg Hall are at Plastic Sax.

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Approach's 2013 album Make-Out With Violence is temporarily available as a free download.

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Mac Lethal meets Ellen.

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Gwar's Dave Brockie has died.

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Only Madlib's imaginative production makes Piñata, the bafflingly acclaimed album by Freddie Gibbs, bearable.  Not a fan.  RIYL: Shoutouts to TechN9ne, Jay Rock, Earl Sweatshirt cameos.

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"We Made It", a new track by Jay Z and Jay Electronica, is tone-deaf. 

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My Hank Williams collection was complete- until now.  The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 will be released in May.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original expert photography by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Drive-By Truckers- English Oceans

The heart regularly betrays the mind.

My intellect informs me that the precious time I spend repeatedly playing the tenth studio album by Drive-By Truckers would be better applied to a rigorous study of the latest effort by Vijay Iyer, investigating another reissue of African psychedelia or attending more performances by groundbreaking bands like Marijuana Deathsquads.  Alternative country, after all, is totally played out.

Not so fast. 

Many of English Oceans' smart, funny and sad songs speak directly to my experiences.  So what if ""Til He's Dead Or Rises" is a slavish imitation of Sticky Fingers-era Stones?  The album opener "Sh*t Shots Count" is the sort of Replacements-esque rocker that I thought I got out of my system in the 1990s.  Yet it moves me.  And "Primer Coat" is easily my favorite song of 2014.

English Oceans may not be a great album.  Hell, it may not even be a good album.  But I love it all the same.


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XV released two March Madness mix tapes.  RIYL: Wichita, Kid Cudi, wondering why XV isn't a star yet.

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Outsides covered Of Montreal to help promote the forthcoming Middle of the Map festival.

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Here's recent footage of a Turkish-inspired ensemble led by Beau Bledsoe.

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Indyground created a video for Farout's "Billy Hoyle."

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The War On Drugs' Lost In the Dream is the best album Dire Straits never made.  RIYL: Twin Shadow, long jams, Nils Lofgren.

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During one of the first warm days of the year, I spaced out while staring at drifting clouds for 30 minutes.  Beck's Morning Phase gives me the same sort of passive floating sensation.  RIYL: David Crosby, clouds, Autumn Defense.

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I'm down with the Pretty Reckless' Going To Hell.  RIYL: The Runaways, partying, Alice In Chains.

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An unassuming performance by Lowell Levinger, a founding member of the Youngbloods, delighted me at last month's Folk Alliance Conference.  His new album Down to the Roots features guest appearances by Ry Cooder and David Grisman.  RIYL: John Sebastian, authentic hippies, Mississippi John Hurt.

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Saxophonist Javon Jackson has the good sense to cover Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway on his new live album Expressions.  RIYL: Orrin Evans, jazz for the people, Stanley Turrentine.

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The Strypes' Snapshot is cute.  RIYL: Rockpile, good times and great oldies , the first Rolling Stones album.

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Imed Alibi is a Tunisian percussionist.  His new album Safar is RIYL: the future, Anouar Brahem, film scores.

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I already own original vinyl copies of a few of the Record Store Day 2014 special releases.  Make me an offer.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Marijuana Deathsquads and Lizzo at the RecordBar

I want to join Marijuana Deathsquads.  The noise collective's thrilling performance Monday night at the RecordBar  gave me a sensation I haven't felt in years- I longed to make music with the musicians on stage.

Marijuana Deathsquads' presentation looked more like an industrious meth lab than a performance.  As two drummers kicked up dust, four guys hunched over laptops, mixers and other gadgets.  It was a bit like this, only darker, dirtier and much louder. 

There were only about 50 people in the RecordBar when Marijuana Deathsquads began its assault.  The room cleared quickly.  About 15 fans had the fortitude to withstand the band's overwhelming "Ewok Sadness", a sound which is somewhat akin to a mashup of Ministry and Schoolly D. 

It's back to the lab for me. 

An opening set by Lizzo- loaded with bangers like "Batches & Cookies" and "Faded"- was charming. 


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I reviewed Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Liberty Hall on Thursday and Gordon Lightfoot at the Uptown Theater on Sunday.

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The Kansas City-based folk musician Beth Scalet has died.

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The lyric video for Josh Berwanger's "Baby Loses Her Mind" is very funny.

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Farout is arguably the best rapper in the Indyground crew.  Billy Hoyle is his new five-song EP.  RIYL: Steddy P., 420, Ces Cru.

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Stooges drummer Ron Asheton has died.

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Road trip?  The lineup of Iowa City's Mission Creek Festival includes There Stands the Glass favorites Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Jason Isbell and Dessa.

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The kids are alright.  "Alabama Movies" is a new video from Skating Polly, a band of Okie kids. The children in Austin's Residual Kid channel Nirvana on "Friends".  And the fresh faces of Radkey, the pride of northwest Missouri, continue to pop up everywhere.  The damning anecdote at the 1:20 mark of the Radkey video is damning.  (Residual Kid tip via SS.)

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I hadn't heard of Mickey Guyton until I watched a live stream of her performance at SXSW.  She's going to be a star.  RIYL: Taylor Swift, absurdly adorable people, the Band Perry.

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Joyce Yang's excellent solo piano album Wild Dreams has inspired me to begin studying the work of Paul Hindemith.

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The My Husband's Stupid Record Collection blog is delightful.  (Initial tip via Euclid Records.)

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Eagulls is my new favorite classic rock band.  Eagulls is RIYL: Lords of the New Church, oldies, Joy Division.

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Shahin Novrasli's Bayati is an exceptionally daring piano trio album.  RIYL: Eldar Djangarov, Eastern Europe, ECM.

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I'm not sold on the party vibe of Major Lazer's Apocalypse Soon.

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Real Estate's Atlas is one of the best received releases of 2014.  I call baloney.  It's little more than a Christopher Cross tribute album.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original images of Marijuana Deathsquads and Lizzo by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Bohren & der Club of Gore- Piano Nights

I was initially mystified by the fashionable set's interest in Bohren & der Club of Gore.  The German ensemble approaches jazz from a unique angle on the new album Piano Nights.  It took me about 20 minutes to figure out that Bohren & Der Club of Gore wasn't merely a jazz-on-codeine novelty.  Nor is it a somnolent swing parody.  The narcoleptic jazz of Piano Nights is truly brilliant.  Sometimes the cool kids are right.


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The new album by The Kansas City Symphony is titled Miraculous Metamorphoses.

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Here's a very nice performance of "Any Other Way" by the Grisly Hand.

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Marc Myers wrote a history of the song "Kansas City."

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This footage of Sharon Jones interacting with fans at Liberty Hall is great.

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Bummer covered Gary Numan's "Cars" in a promo video for the Middle of the Map festival.

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Here's a video of Claire and the Crowded Stage performing "Spanish Sun."

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Pharrell Wiliams' G I R L is absolutely nuts, and not necessarily in a good way.  RIYL: Hooked on Classics, "Get Lucky", Stars on 45.

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St. Vincent's self-titled album is every bit as good as everyone says it is.

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Inner Fire, the new album by the Souljazz Orchestra, makes me very happy.  RIYL: Mulatu Astatke, spirituality, Fania Records.

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Ledesi's The Truth is a by-the-numbers R&B album.  And I like it.  RIYL: Tamar Braxton, the radio, Marsha Ambrosius. 

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Expectations can be a bear- I'm underwhelmed by my first impression of Ambrose Akinmusire's The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint.  It's obviously "good," but… RIYL: Miles in '65, "The One," Dave Douglas.

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Kelis' performance Thursday at SXSW was triumphant.  Here's a track from her forthcoming album.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Brendan Kinsella at Grant Hall

After playing a rendition of Frederic Rzewiski's thorny "The People United Will Never Be Defeated" that lasted for exactly one hour, Brendan Kinsella returned for an encore at Grant Hall on Monday.

"One more time," he joked.

I laughed along with the rest of the audience of about 50.  Funny thing, though- I would have stuck around for another 60 minutes to hear it again.  Kinsella's piano recital was a test of endurance.  And I won.

Kinsella sold me on Rzewiski's political statement, a work I'd never heard.  He also played an additional set of variations by Bach and Justin Writer.


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I reviewed Wednesday's Kings of Leon and Gary Clark, Jr. concert.

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My thoughts on the first volume of Stanley Crouch's biography of Charlie Parker are published at Plastic Sax.

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Charles Love of the Kansas City band Bloodstone has died.  Our paths crossed several times.  He was an old-school gentleman.  Here's a video montage that focuses on his final years.  And I'm still astounded that Bloodstone starred in the film Train Ride To Hollywood.

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Korn is the headliner of the 2014 edition of Rockfest.

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The latest episode of the KC Cypher series gets off to a rough start.  It doesn't get much better.  KD is the best of a sorry bunch.

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Shy Boys released a video for "And I Am Nervous".

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Former Kansas City resident Steve Cardenas is doing really interesting things as a member of Ben Allison's band.  RIYL: Jim Hall, the new thing, John Abercrombie.

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Teddy Dibble has a lot going on online.  Start here, here or here.   (Tip via There Stands the Glass reader Phil.)

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Phil also turned me on to Harold Ousley's obviously seminal "Uncle Funky" from the 1972 album Sweet Double Hipness.

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Well, this is embarrassing.  I'm smitten by Rick Ross' patently offensive new album Mastermind.  The fact that his relentless boasting, sexism and homophobia don't become tiresome makes me question my self esteem.  "Sanctified" features Big Sean, Kanye West and Betty Wright.

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I feel as if I'm the only fan of contemporary hip-hop who's not down with Schoolboy Q.  At its best, the new album Oxymoron resembles a poor man's version of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city.  At its worst, it sounds like an anemic Odd Future spinoff.  Here's "Break the Bank".

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Kris Bowers' Heroes + Misfits is the kind of album I dream about.  RIYL: Esperanza Spalding, the ideal balance of jazz and R&B, José James.

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"You wanna see a dead body?"  I championed Pusha T's "Numbers On the Boards" last year.  I still love the song, but "Nosetalgia", Pusha T's collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, may be the single best track released in 2013.

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Here's a bracing new rendition of Cursive's "A Gentleman Caller".

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Regina Carter's impeccable Southern Comfort is RIYL: Mark O'Connor, NPR bumper music, Bela Fleck.

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Ume realizes its potential on Monuments.  RIYL: Deafheaven, metallic shards, Joy Formidable.

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The way the lineup of the Big Blues Bender festival is listed reveals just how far the fortunes of a few former stars of the genre have fallen.

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I've publicly denounced modern blues in this space, so my endorsement of Damon Fowler's Sounds of Home  may send shock waves through the There Stands the Glass community.  RIYL: Dickey Betts, alcohol, Little Feat.

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Shirazette Tinnin's Humility: Purity of My Soul is a mixed bag for fans of adventurous R&B-inflected jazz.  Her drumming is great, but the occasionally wacky vocals are a deal-breaker.  RIYL: Tia Fuller, the new freshness, Stevie Wonder.

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Holy Out to Lunch!  Matt Bauder's Nightshades is very nice.  RIYL: Eric Dolphy, 1966 rebooted, Joe Henderson.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana- Taming the Dragon

In the recollection of a dream that opens Taming the Dragon, a man is characterized as "a cross between Joe Walsh and Dennis Hopper."

In that spirit, I'll suggest that the collaboration between Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana is a cross between Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters and Tangerine Dream's Rubycon.

The collage of synths and percussion is less a response to EDM than an homage to the synth pioneers of the 1970s.   Taming the Dragon is a nice companion piece to Daft Punk's Random Access Memories.

Folks in nearby Atchison should note that one noodly track is titled "Elegy for Amelia E."  "The Dreamer" goes nowhere fast but I love the casual funk of "Sassysassed Sassafrass." A live version of "Hungry Ghost" is illuminating.   I understand why many Mehldau devotees are disappointed by the recording, but I like it.   

Taming the Dragon is a decidedly minor album by one of our time's most important musicians.


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I reviewed Thursday's concert by 2 Chainz, Pusha T and August Alsino.  Here's my analysis of Friday's performances by Black Joe Lewis and Pickwick.

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The Missouri Arts Council recently recognized There Stands the Glass and Plastic Sax.

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"Keep Me in the Dark" is the latest video from the Noise FM.

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Paco de Lucia has died.  A lot of people I knew played Friday Night in San Francisco constantly in 1981-82.

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The audio of Leonard Feather's legendary blindfold tests are available as free downloads.  (Incredible tip via Big Steve.)

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The lineup of Moogfest 2014 is amazing.

---
I continue to root for Lisa Marie Presley, but the tone of her promotional material is all wrong.

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I'm calling it right now- this is the single worst pop hit of all time.  Watch and listen at your own risk. 

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It turns out that I liked the idea of Neneh Cherry's first proper solo album in 16 years more than the album itself.  Blank Project isn't nearly as good as her 2012 jazz-based album with the Thing.  RIYL: Portishead, feeling underwhelmed, Robyn.

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Amerigo Gazaway created a "conceptual collaboration" between Marvin Gaye and Mos Def.  RIYL:

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)