My prior exposure to Big Country, I’m sorry to say, was when Girl Talk mashed up “In a Big Country” with “Whoomp! (There It Is)”. I rather like how Scottish this album is without being crossover about it.
eX-Girl, “The crown of Dr. Keroninstan”
The vinyl reissue of Kero! Kero! Kero! prompted Kirilola to bring eX-Girl back from Planet Kero. I have to admit some degree of envy when the band announced its return to SXSW.
Hapa, Hapa
I grew up listening to some really awful Hawaiian music, pumped mostly into elevators and department stores. I picked up this self-titled debut at the thrift store, curious to see why it gets such breathless accolades in Hawaii media. I’m hoping someone emerges as the Astor Piazzola for Hawaiian music, and Hapa has so far come closest.
Robert Palmer, Pressure Drop
Palmer continues the funk workout of Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley, augmenting it with explorations into other genres, notably the reggae of the title track.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out
It’s unfortunate when a single track from an album overshadows the rest of it. For the longest time, I’ve avoided Time Out because of “Take Five.” How silly of me. “Blue Rondo a la Turk” is damn awesome.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz
It’s not the nuclear blast of Fever to Tell, but it’s still a good listen.
I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.
It was my birthday last week, so I spent it in London, getting more study scores than records. A few of these titles were bought with birthday cash beforehand.
New releases
CD
Dead Can Dance, Dionysus
Catalog
CD
Beat Furrer, Aria / Solo / Gaspra
Beat Furrer, Stimmen / Face De La Chaleur / Quartett / Dort Ist Das Me
Carlo Gesualdo, O Dolce Mio Tesoro
Everything But the Girl, Eden (Deluxe Edition)
Everything But the Girl, Love Not Money (Deluxe Edition)
Icicle Works, 5 Albums
Perfume, JPN
Robert Palmer, 5 Classic Albums
The Human League, Dare
Utada Hikaru, “Face My Fears”
Yaz, Three Pieces
Vinyl
10,000 Maniacs, Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings
I remember seeing Guadalcanal Diary albums filed in a section of Jelly’s Books and Music reserved for “modern rock”, the precursor of “alternative rock” that would distinguish itself from “classic rock”. I wouldn’t explore the band’s albums till nearly 30 years later. Of their four albums released in the ’80s, 2 x 4 is one of the two essentials, the other being Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man.
Perfume Genius, No Shape
I’ve stayed away from Perfume Genius because the 30-second samples I’d hear of various tracks made me conclude I’d be bored at full-length. No Shape garnered a lot of favorable press in 2018, and the thrift store price point convinced me to jump in. I’m glad I did.
Robert Palmer, Secrets
You should own this album for “Doctor, Doctor” alone, but like the rest of Palmer’s early output, this album is reliably funky.
SUPER JUNKY MONKEY, AIETOH
SUPER JUNKY MONKEY albums can get intense for their length, so this four-track EP is the perfect encapsulation of the band. I grabbed this release from the Evil Sharing Networks in the early 2000s and pined for the day I could afford to order it from overseas. Nearly 20 years later, I would get it on Amazon Marketplace for under $5.
Toto, Hydra
Toto IV gets most of the accolades, and while Hydra didn’t capture the mind share of its predecessor, it has some solid tracks, including one of my favorite Toto singlse, “99.”
I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.
This past weekend was the annual Big Book Sale by the Friends of the Seattle Public Library, so I should have enough music to last me for weeks, right? Right.
Catalog
CDs
Anita Baker, Giving You the Best That I Got
Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
Victor Borge, Live(!)
Glenn Branca, Symphony No. 2: Peak of the Sacred
Cameo, Word Up!
Capercaillie, Secret People
John Coltrane, Giant Steps
John Coltrane, Meditations
John Coltrane, My Favorite Things
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
Eazy-E, Eazy-Duz-It
Bill Evans Trio, Waltz for Debby
Fugazi, End Hits
Peter Gabriel, Shaking the Tree
Guns N’ Roses, G N’ R Lies
Heart, Bad Animals
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced?
Ketsumeshi, Ketsunopolis 4
LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out
Milt Jackson and John Coltrane, Bags and Trane
Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark
Morrissey, The Best of Morrissey
Mother Love Bone, Mother Love Bone
Nirvana, Incesticide
Robert Palmer, Clues
Prince, Musicology
R.E.M., Dead Letter Office
Radiohead, The Bends
Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
Einojuhani Rautvaara, Symphony No. 7: Angel of Light / Annunciations
![[Hapa - Hapa]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/HapaHapa1993207975_f-300x298.jpg)
![[Icicle Works - Five Albums]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/TheIcicleWorks5Albums2208924_f-300x300.jpg)
![[Molotov - ¿Donde jugaran las niñas?]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MolotovDondeJugaranLasNi10564_f.jpg)
![[Pop Will Eat Itself - This Is the Day ... This Is the Hour ... This Is This!]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/PopWillEatItselfThisIs205903_f-296x300.jpg)
![[Toto - Hydra]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/TotoHydra1979203071_f.jpeg)
![[Jason Isbell and 400 Unit - Live from the Ryman]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/JasonIsbell400UnitLive196779PY5H_f-300x300.jpg)
![[Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ParquetCourtsWideAwake191304_f-300x268.jpg)
![[Roxy Music - Avalon]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/RoxyMusicAvalon1983180628_f-300x300.jpg)