The N&G Listening Club V1 - Archive only

I have listened to this album several times, both in the reissued tracklisting and the original tracklisting.
I definitely agree that the original tracklisting works wayyyyyyyy better.

Perhaps someone can help me, because I am familiar with most of the Grateful Dead albums and eras ('81-era is my favorite) but not as much with side projects or solo albums (beyond one or two Garcia albums and Bob Weir's Ace).

I found this album very confusing. Some of it may be my lack of familiarity with context of the time it was recorded, some of it may be due to my not knowing what they were intending when they mixed it...

Why are the horns buried in the mix? The vibe I was getting from the way these songs were constructed was that there was a clear set of chord changes and that sections were dictated by soloist or bandleader, and melodies/themes were very much in line with what big band arrangers would call "riffing." Since the horns do most of the melodies/riffing, why are they so far in the background? Is this a digital remastered problem, or are original vinyls showcasing this same thing?

Why does Jerry hold back so much? A lot of what he plays is very pentatonic/blues oriented and I'm at a loss as to whether it is a stylistic choice for the project or because he was unfamiliar with the material and played it safe. He is usually more adventurous, at least evidenced from live recordings of this era of him with other people.

Perhaps someone can point me in a direction to learn more about the history of Howard Wales? The vibe/impression I got from this album was something like Booker T and The MG's meets Mahavishnu Orchestra versus Santana. Am I on the money or am I way off?

I believe that music that is recorded and released is meant to serve a function or statement. I am honestly trying to figure these things out, so please don't think I am hating on this album.

In fact, the very evidence that I am this curious and have listened no less than eight times might be a testament to its staying power.

Thank you for bringing this album to my attention :)
 
MadLucas said:
I have listened to this album several times, both in the reissued tracklisting and the original tracklisting.
I definitely agree that the original tracklisting works wayyyyyyyy better.

Perhaps someone can help me, because I am familiar with most of the Grateful Dead albums and eras ('81-era is my favorite) but not as much with side projects or solo albums (beyond one or two Garcia albums and Bob Weir's Ace).

I found this album very confusing. Some of it may be my lack of familiarity with context of the time it was recorded, some of it may be due to my not knowing what they were intending when they mixed it...

Why are the horns buried in the mix? The vibe I was getting from the way these songs were constructed was that there was a clear set of chord changes and that sections were dictated by soloist or bandleader, and melodies/themes were very much in line with what big band arrangers would call "riffing." Since the horns do most of the melodies/riffing, why are they so far in the background? Is this a digital remastered problem, or are original vinyls showcasing this same thing?

Why does Jerry hold back so much? A lot of what he plays is very pentatonic/blues oriented and I'm at a loss as to whether it is a stylistic choice for the project or because he was unfamiliar with the material and played it safe. He is usually more adventurous, at least evidenced from live recordings of this era of him with other people.

Perhaps someone can point me in a direction to learn more about the history of Howard Wales? The vibe/impression I got from this album was something like Booker T and The MG's meets Mahavishnu Orchestra versus Santana. Am I on the money or am I way off?

I believe that music that is recorded and released is meant to serve a function or statement. I am honestly trying to figure these things out, so please don't think I am hating on this album.

In fact, the very evidence that I am this curious and have listened no less than eight times might be a testament to its staying power.

Thank you for bringing this album to my attention :)
Click to expand...

I don't have the answer to most of these questions -- or maybe, any of them -- but I got the feeling that Jerry was sitting back more, because these are, for the most part, Howard Wales solo compositions. The only real exceptions are "Da Birg Song," which Jerry co-wrote, and "South Side Strut" which was co-written by Martin Fierro.

I went and saw the Tony WIlliams tribute project Spectrum Road a handful of years ago and noticed something similar with John Medeski. The group was composed of Jack Bruce on bass, Cindy Blackman Santana behind the kit, and Vernon Reed handling guitar. Since Jack Bruce is Jack Bruce and the only one that really played in a group with Williams, he's front and center. Since Blackman-Santana is playing the Williams role, she has plenty of moments to shine, as well. Vernon Reed is obviously going to get his opportunities to do his crazy guitar shit. Since I like Medeski so much, I wanted to hear him go off, but he didn't do that very much. It clearly wasn't his project and these are a bunch of players working together fairly early on, albeit pulling it off admirably enough. They still weren't fully a unit yet, I don't think

I missed the Hieroglyphics tour last month, but when I saw them back in the day, Del would also sit in the back in the shadows. It was like he didn't want to "overshadow" anyone else, literally. I saw the Beast Coastal tour years ago, and Joey Bada$$ kind of stayed out of the way for the other people in Pro.Era during their set, too. I'm not sure how much of a unit these guys on Hooteroll? really were at the time. Keep in mind, this is kind of how Jerry got introduced and acquainted with John Kahn for the first time. Wales appeared on some studio Dead tracks, but he wasn't really going off, either. They got to know each other playing improv sets at a bar. These was probably sketched out more than something they put an incredible amount of time into. I'm sure that Wales had his compositions and everyone was kind of supporting him. Jerry also recently came off of doing that solo improv stuff for the Zabriske Point soundtrack the year before.

I don't think that this is necessarily an "essential" release in Garcia's discography, but I do find it interesting from the perspective that it offers another look at something he was involved with. Most of what came from this came from collaborations with the members in the future. It's definitely a lot different from his first solo album that was released the same year and featured stuff like "Deal," "Bird Song," "Sugaree," "Loser," "To Lay Me Down," and "The Wheel" on it.
 
The album I picked for this week is Choose Your Weapon by Hiatus Kaiyote (May 2015)

4421

I don’t have the writing chops of @Dead C or @syngts so I’m going to keep things pretty simple here…

Hiatus Kaiyote is a four piece insert-your-own-descriptor-here soul band (guitar, drums, bass, keys) from Melbourne, Australia.

Choose Your Weapon, their 2nd album, is something I’ve listened to in a very even fashion – never binging and burning out, but always coming back month after month for the past few years for more.
They tend to eschew verse-chorus-verse structure, instead taking whatever path seems natural for each song. The band is super tight and very talented - able to stop, start, twist and undulate on a dime. The detailed arrangements can be lush or funky, jazzy or rambunctious, sometimes all within one song.
If you give each song 30 seconds and skip to the next one, you’re going to be missing out. It sounds great blasting out of speakers or headphones. And look at that cover!

I hope you find something in it you like….

 
Splunders said:
The album I picked for this week is Choose Your Weapon by Hiatus Kaiyote (May 2015)

View attachment 4421

I don’t have the writing chops of @Dead C or @syngts so I’m going to keep things pretty simple here…

Hiatus Kaiyote is a four piece insert-your-own-descriptor-here soul band (guitar, drums, bass, keys) from Melbourne, Australia.

Choose Your Weapon, their 2nd album, is something I’ve listened to in a very even fashion – never binging and burning out, but always coming back month after month for the past few years for more.
They tend to eschew verse-chorus-verse structure, instead taking whatever path seems natural for each song. The band is super tight and very talented - able to stop, start, twist and undulate on a dime. The detailed arrangements can be lush or funky, jazzy or rambunctious, sometimes all within one song.
If you give each song 30 seconds and skip to the next one, you’re going to be missing out. It sounds great blasting out of speakers or headphones. And look at that cover!

I hope you find something in it you like….

Click to expand...

YES! Great choice! I knew of this album back when it released but never gave it an adequate listen. Excited to do so this week!
 
The cover image from the web release is even more epic:
JdlFbB.gif
 
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Like Gris Gris and Hooteroll?, I have never listened to this before. I streamed it at work while engrossed in some spreadsheet work and it made the time fly. Very pleasant first listen...made me think of Morcheeba a few times. Not really sure if there is a correlation there or not, but it made me think of them. That album art is really quite fascinating. I'll report back with more soon. Thanks for the pick.
 
Splunders said:
The album I picked for this week is Choose Your Weapon by Hiatus Kaiyote (May 2015)

View attachment 4421

I don’t have the writing chops of @Dead C or @syngts so I’m going to keep things pretty simple here…

Hiatus Kaiyote is a four piece insert-your-own-descriptor-here soul band (guitar, drums, bass, keys) from Melbourne, Australia.

Choose Your Weapon, their 2nd album, is something I’ve listened to in a very even fashion – never binging and burning out, but always coming back month after month for the past few years for more.
They tend to eschew verse-chorus-verse structure, instead taking whatever path seems natural for each song. The band is super tight and very talented - able to stop, start, twist and undulate on a dime. The detailed arrangements can be lush or funky, jazzy or rambunctious, sometimes all within one song.
If you give each song 30 seconds and skip to the next one, you’re going to be missing out. It sounds great blasting out of speakers or headphones. And look at that cover!

I hope you find something in it you like….

Click to expand...

This album is phenomenal and the MOV pressing sounds AMAZING! Highly recommend picking it up if you find yourself digging the album.
 
Absolutely love HK and this album. Definitely in my top 5 albums of the past 5 years probably 10. I was introduced to them through Nakamarra not long after their first album came out, but I had trouble getting into that one aside from Nakamarra (an all-time great song, imo) and maybe one other song. But when CYW came out, I was fully on board. It's a little too long to me, but that's the only gripe I have. Nai Palm, the lead singer, is a super fascinating person, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Her mother died of the same disease. She had a mastectomy and while recovering recorded this stunning video from her hospital bed . They've been working on their next record, and it's the album I'm most looking forward to. Seriously hope it comes out this year. Also bandmate Clever Austin released an album back in March. It's a very interesting album that I need to spend more time with.

But back to CYW. Just a fantastic record. Not too long ago I discovered that there's track-by-track commentary on spotify and if you dig the album, I would definitely recommend listening to the commentary. My favorite tracks have to be Building A Ladder, Molasses, The Lung, Fingerprints... The weakest moment to me is the chorus of Swamp Thing, but everything else in the track makes up for the hook that I don't love.
Curious to read other responses to this.

Splunders said:
The album I picked for this week is Choose Your Weapon by Hiatus Kaiyote (May 2015)

View attachment 4421

I don’t have the writing chops of @Dead C or @syngts so I’m going to keep things pretty simple here…

Hiatus Kaiyote is a four piece insert-your-own-descriptor-here soul band (guitar, drums, bass, keys) from Melbourne, Australia.

Choose Your Weapon, their 2nd album, is something I’ve listened to in a very even fashion – never binging and burning out, but always coming back month after month for the past few years for more.
They tend to eschew verse-chorus-verse structure, instead taking whatever path seems natural for each song. The band is super tight and very talented - able to stop, start, twist and undulate on a dime. The detailed arrangements can be lush or funky, jazzy or rambunctious, sometimes all within one song.
If you give each song 30 seconds and skip to the next one, you’re going to be missing out. It sounds great blasting out of speakers or headphones. And look at that cover!

I hope you find something in it you like….

Click to expand...
 
rightasra1n said:
Absolutely love HK and this album. Probably in my top 5 albums of the past 5 years. I was introduced to them through Nakamarra not long after their first album came out, but I had trouble getting into that one aside from Nakamarra (an all-time great song, imo) and maybe one other song. But when CYW came out, I was fully on board. It's a little too long to me, but that's the only gripe I have. Nai Palm, the lead singer, is a super fascinating person, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Her mother died of the same disease. She had a mastectomy and while recovering recorded this stunning video from her hospital bed . They've been working on their next record, and it's the album I'm most looking forward to. Seriously hope it comes out this year. Also bandmate Clever Austin released an album back in March. It's a very interesting album that I need to spend more time with.

But back to CYW. Just a fantastic record. Not too long ago I discovered that there's track-by-track commentary on spotify and if you dig the album, I would definitely recommend listening to the commentary. My favorite tracks have to be Building A Ladder, Molasses, The Lung, Fingerprints... The weakest moment to me is the chorus of Swamp Thing, but everything else in the track makes up for the hook that I don't love.
Curious to read other responses to this.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with you about that Swamp Thing chorus. I didn't know they had an album in the works! I need to check out Nai Palm's stuff. I saw she had cancer but it looks like they're touring so hopefully she's doing ok.
 
Splunders said:
Totally agree with you about that Swamp Thing chorus. I didn't know they had an album in the works! I need to check out Nai Palm's stuff. I saw she had cancer but it looks like they're touring so hopefully she's doing ok.
Click to expand...

Yeah, as far as I can tell she's doing well. And I completely forgot to mention her solo album. It's quite good, but it's very stripped back compared to what HK does. So, while I enjoyed that album, it really made want yearn for new/more Hiatus Kaiyote. I think it's definitely worth checking out and I wouldn't mind hearing an HK redux of a song like Crossfire. It totally doesn't need one as it's good enough to stand on it's own. But I wouldn't be mad if they spruced it up. lol.
 
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