Ahmed Abdul-Malik – Jazz Sounds of Africa: I’ve never heard of Abdul-Malik but I found two of his CDs in the used bin on Friday and couldn’t leave them. This is the space between what guys like Coltrane and Dolphy and Mingus were doing in the early ‘60s and what Fela was doing in the ‘70s. “Communication” and “Suffering” are like nothing I’ve heard before, and they’re stunning.
Paul Simon – Graceland: I asked Bob, who has long sang the glories of Graceland, why it’s great. To paraphrase, he said the lyrics can be personal or political, cryptic or clear, but are always transformative; the musicians bring joy alongside melancholy and disorder; and Simon stretches farther than ever before and sounds more like himself because of it. So as I begin my journey with this record, I’m hearing the joy amidst the violence and loss, the phenomenal bass playing of Bakithi Kumalo, and the amazing work of a musician who I’ve never thought of as amazing.
Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones: A couple months back, I wrote about my challenges revisiting this record and I’ve been thinking about my disappointment in it ever since. When I listened this week, I both approached and heard the record differently. First, I stopped trying to force Waits to be the musical equivalent of Raymond Carver or Edward Hopper. Second, I opened myself to the mystery of the lyrics instead of reading them literally. Third, I looked for the humanity within the stories, like the homesick and drunk sailor on “Shore Leave” and the man fighting change on “In the Neighborhood.” Fourth, I read about the history of the record, about Waits being a washed-up cliché until he met Kathleen Brennan, about the angry fans and industry insiders who hated this record. And finally, fifth, I listened on headphones. I won’t say Swordfishtrombones has won me over, but for the first time, I’m hearing it for what it is rather than what I want it to be, and it’s far better than I ever realized.
David Virelles – Gnosis: I almost didn’t make it past the opening track, “Del Tabaco y el Azúcar,” because it has all the hallmarks of bad experimentation: minor key signature, dramatic piano, random percussion, and so on. But then “Fitití Ñongo” started and suddenly it’s an interesting and creative take on traditional Latin music. Experimental cliches pop up throughout the record, they’re outweighed by the good stuff that mixes Virelles’ technical skill and classical training with his emotional performances.
Prince – Sign O’ the Times: I was completely bored listening to this. Much like with Swordfishtrombones, I need to align what I’m expecting from this record with what this record is.
Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance: I still haven’t spent proper time with the D side of the deluxe version of Good Riddance, but I woke up early Saturday and played the first 12 songs that compose the original version of the record. Listening holistically instead of in pieces, I heard a couple things I haven’t noticed before, like the themes around both leaving home and going home. What really hit me, though, are the nods to mental illness and the way I hear my own experiences in her words.
Grateful Dead – 10/29/73 (St. Louis MO): This is one of the best versions of “Wharf Rat” I’ve heard, and one of the worst versions of “Brokedown Palace.”
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Pretty Girl: Fabric Presents Pretty Girl; Low: HEY WHAT; Maribou State: Hallucinating Love
Record store finds this week: The Ahmed Abdul-Malik CDs (I also found Spellbound) were the big find, but I also found Alan Sparhawk’s latest record used, the new Sofia Kourtesis that I wrote about last week, a Jocelyn Brown 12” in the dollar bin (ALWAYS a huge win when I find something by her), and the new Ethel Cain which I’ll get to once I’ve spent a bit more time with Preacher’s Daughter.