Doom & Gloom Dispatch #47: Perspectives Musicales
Patrick Dethlefs, Dave Easley, Yo La Tengo, Prairiewolf, Sonic Youth
Patrick Dethlefs - Some Songs Aren’t That Long
An interesting — and extremely successful — experiment from Colorado singer-songwriter Patrick Dethlefs. As its title hints, Some Songs Aren’t That Long is an exercise in trimming the fat. The longest of the eight tracks here is just over two minutes; the entire thing lasts just about 13 minutes. But in spite of this brevity, this is a very satisfying meal — Dethlefs manages to fit intros, outros, hooks, choruses, bridges, solos and more into these wistful country rock miniatures. Landing somewhere between Will Oldham and Jackson Browne, it never feels overstuffed or rushed; in fact, it’s always a bit surprising that the tunes on Some Songs are really as short as they are. Everything unfurls beautifully and patiently — and it’s all over before you know it. Then it’s time to hit “play” again.
I loved Byways of the Moon, pedal steel virtuoso Dave Easley’s previous record for Big Ego — so when the mensch Chris “Psychic Temple” Schlarb asked me to write the liners for Easley’s Ballads LP, I said yes immediately. What an honor, ladies and gentlemen.
As great as Byways was, Ballads might be even better, with pedal steel-led versions of tunes by Ornette Coleman, Duke Ellington, Sonny Sharrock and more. And it’s got guitarist extraordinaire Jeff Parker, ace bassist David Tranchina and expert drummer Jay Bellerose … what more do you need? An instant classic, if I do say so myself. The record comes out on October 20, 2023 — go preorder it, for heaven’s sake!
If you need a sample of what’s in store, check out an in-studio video of Duke’s deathless “Fleurette Africaine.” What a tune, what a sound.
Yo La Tengo - Idiot’s Delight with Vince Scelsa, WNEW, December 28, 1997
If all had gone according to plan, I would’ve seen Yo La Tengo (AKA The Best Band) live in concert for the first time in many many years this past week. Alas! Georgia Hubley underwent knee surgery recently, putting her out of commission for a bit, pushing the shows back to early next year. It’s OK — I am sure that Georgia will return more powerful than ever.
In the meanwhile, let’s check out this vintage radio broadcast, freshly uploaded by friend of the blog Dave Marin. James McNew is on winter break, so it’s the Georgia & Ira show here on Idiot’s Delight, which means we get to hear some fairly unique arrangements: an acoustic “Sugarcube,” a drum-machine-led “Little Honda” and a terrific acoustic re-imagining of “Autumn Sweater.” You’re also going to get a lovely cover of Dave Davies’ Kinks deep cut “This Man He Weeps Tonight,” which is true perfection.
Elsewhere, host Vin Scelsa tries to draw Kaplan and Hubley out on a possible sample of The Who’s “Armenia City In The Sky” hidden secretly within the grooves of “Moby Octopad” … but once he actually plays the songs, his theory is disproven. I can see what Vin means, though!
Prairiewolf - Lagniappe Session
OK, we checked out an I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One-era Yo La Tengo tape … Now, we’ve got Prairiewolf covering an ICHTHBAO classic. Jeremy, Stefan and I made our Lagniappe Session debut over on Aquarium Drunkard this week with our take on YLT’s luminous/lovely “Green Arrow” alongside an extended/extremely heady rendition of the unclassifiable Eddie Harris/Melvin Jackson jam “Silver Cycles.” Huzzah for gratis grooves! Thank you to AD for asking us to be a part of the Lagniappe legacy. A true privilege.
What else!? Prairiewolf is playing a show TONIGHT (9/29) down in Denver at Enigma Bazaar. It’s a stacked bill, featuring the mighty Moon Bros. and The International Disassociation of Aaron Dooley. You don’t want to miss it. Afterwards, Aaron is taking his crew out on the road for an honest-to-goodness tour, going all over the place. Check out the dates and go see him!
More???! How about Of Ambience and Americana, a killer Centripetal Force collection that just showed up this week, offering up some very sweet “ambient Americana” zones. Prairiewolf’s “Lunar Deluxe” makes an appearance — and I’d be lying if I didn’t swell up with pride seeing our name listed amongst so many greats: Nashville Ambient Ensemble, Eve Maret, Joseph Allred and more. Go get it!
ONE MORE THING. Golden Brown’s Wide Ranging Rider is out NOW on Inner Islands — and I implore you to grab your copy. The more I listen, the more I’m convinced that it’s Stefan’s best work yet, stripping things back considerably, but still finding an expansive, magical vibe. A raspberry cloud to float away on …
Sonic Youth - The Last Place On Earth, Memphis, Tennessee, August 16, 2000
Hello, 21st century! At this point in our #SonicSummer trek, Sonic Youth is a band leading a double life. As we saw last week, they were diving deeper and deeper into the avant-garde, experimenting and expanding. But they were also an alternative rock band on DGC — and in the sweltering summer of 2000, they found themselves playing sheds and arenas with the biggest alternative rock band ... Pearl Jam!
In between a few of those opening gigs, SY scheduled some very cool Perspectives Musicales shows — there’s a great one available officially over on Bandcamp ... and there’s this excellent audience recording from Memphis, which happens to feature the guy Thurston refers to as “our friend Ed.” That's right, Eddie Vedder is making a rare Doom & Gloom appearance. What a world.
Yeah, it was a hot night in Memphis — literally. “I think this is the hottest club I've ever been in,” Kim reports at some point. And considering her two decades on the road, that must mean something. But the band rises to the occasion. Things kick off with a full set of improv, noise and solo spotlights. Dig Thurston’s solo 12-string renditions of “Rain On Tin” and “Disconnection Notice,” instrumental previews of 2002's Murray St. Or Jim O’Rourke’s rocked-up version of his “Halfway To A Threeway,” Steve Shelley adding a vicious “Down By The River”-style beat. Or Jim, Steve, Lee and Ed jamming out! You gotta hear it to believe it.
After those good times, there’s a straightforward Sonic Youth set. With O’Rourke in the mix, the band has found a new level of professionalism. That’s a good thing! The dynamics are heightened, the feedback swells almost sleek in their execution. NYC Ghosts & Flowers may not be anyone’s fave SY record, but the stellar performances of that material here suggest that it’s a sleeper in the catalog. And the old stuff is killer, too; with Jim taking over bass duties on “Kool Thing,” Kim gets to stalk the stage like Iggy Pop. She also plays a mean trumpet on the Vedder-assisted “Lightnin’”! Hit ‘em where it hurts, Kim!
From the Doom & Gloom Archives
The Incredible String Band - Radio Unnameable, New York City, May 13, 1968
Here is something very cool – a tape of the Incredible String Band in the spring of 1968 performing a live set on Bob Fass’s Radio Unnameable show on WBAI in NYC. It is indeed radio unnameable. What those tuning into this broadcast (presumably made very late at night) made of the strange, beautiful free folk coming through their speakers is anyone’s guess. The ISB certainly sound like they’ve been indulging in some psychedelic substances. The music that Mike Heron, Robin Williamson and Licorice make here is loose, for sure, but also pretty magical, from the surreal spoken word of “The Head” to Heron’s Krishna-tastic reading of “You Get Brighter.” Turn on, turn up, tune in!
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