The N&G Listening Club V1 - Archive only

chris_d_cole said:
I found myself planning a Halloween party in my head while listening to it. For me, it feels like the music and sounds that would be coming out from the open windows of a cabin you stumble upon deep in the woods in the middle of the night.
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Ooh I like this.

supahypeag said:
To me, it’s not “scary,” like what you’d hear during a horror movie. It’s not even creepy. But the music evokes a kind of...uncanny?...feeling of unease, like an exploration at night down a dirt path in the woods that you’re not familiar with, after a few beers.
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Like a Blair Witch thing almost?

Okay to both - I can see/hear this. I'm pickin up what ya'll puttin' down.
 
debianlinux said:
It’s definitely got hoodoo vibes. Spooky is an easy word. It’s more like is toying with some dark arts and hoping for the best which is, in essence, what gris gris is.
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I like your use of the word “toying.” Because there’s definitely a lot of playfulness going on. It just doesn’t strike me as all that serious, but at the same time, it’s still not...wholesome.
 
Finally listening to this and I'm not really sure what to think so far. I'm leaning towards good - it's definitely one of those "atmospheric" albums that are able to paint a million images in your mind just through the power of sound. It's not something I think I'd ever buy myself or even listen to often, but it's interesting.

And yeah, holy shit, if Tom Waits didn't hear this at some point in his life, I'd be very, *very* surprised.
 
This album makes me wonder if we are collectively a bit more desensitized than the audience may have been in the late sixties, drugs notwithstanding. To me, I've kind of got two impressions going on at the same time:

If I really kind of go to a naive place, I understand the exoticism that the artistic direction of this album has. I think the cover is clever, and some pretty snazzy photography manipulation. It's not quite a composite, but rather a double exposure (maybe). Remember as a kid being kind of fascinated by those double exposure portraits? Okay maybe that was just me. But I do think the cover and the music are a bit "scary", but more in the "exotic" and "primal" sense for the average American audience. I would call it "lightly ritualistic", though that might have been just enough for the listener to be titillated but not turned off completely. I definitely imagine a throng of fans being SO into this.

On the other hand, Disney, Halloween, rated G, etc. comes to mind, being jaded and weathered as I am. I can give it a big meh because honestly it just doesn't "go there" for me. If Walt did a sort of n'awlins version of the Three Caballeros, which honestly was pretty psychedelic in its own right, this would be the soundtrack. And Croker Courtboullion would be the ambient track on the dark ride at Disneyland.

So here's my question. Dr. John is legit. I'm assuming there's no doubt about that. But, are there more legit, less popular artists that embody this vision more deeply? Is Dr. John a pop version of this type of music? Is he the Greta Van Fleet of New Orleans?

I'm also sorry but Cher will always be my guilded splinter walker.
 
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Really enjoying this, definitely a home alone at night listen. I don't think I'd call it creepy though, maybe its because I'm not quite at the end yet, but to me I'd even say its more Screamin' Jay Hawkins than Michael's Jackson's Thriller (which isn't that creepy anyway). The thing is, its more genuine than both, he's done a great job of not making it sound like a caricature.

I like the album artwork, yes its a little naff, but you need to remember how old it is. Though like the vast majority of album artworks, just picture how much better it would be without any text on it.
 
Critter said:
So here's my question. Dr. John is legit. I'm assuming there's no doubt about that. But, are there more legit, less popular artists that embody this vision more deeply?
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Are you familiar with Exuma - s/t or Exuma II? It seems in at least a similar vein in that it is also focused on a spiritual tradition of the African diaspora, although Obeah instead of Voodoo. Great albums. I don't know if I could really judge the true authenticity of either, if that's even possible.

Edit: Just want to say these two albums are highly recommended for anyone that afro-carribean freak folk sounds intriguing to. Mama Loi, Papa Loi is a standout from memory.
 
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I get a strong Doors vibe from the music, which makes sense as they are apparently in the same genre of psych rock. I wish I had more music theory knowledge to explain WHY that is. Like, what is making it sound like The Doors? Does it not settle on a center key? Similar chord progressions? Or am I way off and they sound nothing alike (totally possible)?
 
dhodo said:
Are you familiar with Exuma - s/t or Exuma II? It seems in at least a similar vein in that it is also focused on a spiritual tradition of the African diaspora, although Obeah instead of Voodoo. Great albums. I don't know if I could really judge the true authenticity of either, if that's even possible.

Edit: Just want to say these two albums are highly recommended for anyone that afro-carribean freak folk sounds intriguing to. Mama Loi, Papa Loi is a standout from memory.
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I'm interested in this. Where can you hear it? Tried apple streaming but...?
 
Bohnjaggs said:
I just thought of something fun, but it would probably be impossible due to everyone's schedule. Since we have a JQBX.FM room set up for the new forum it would probably be possible for us all to meet at a certain time listen to the weekly album together.

Impossible, right?
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I would love to do this! I'll need some guidance though. Do I just go to JQBX.FM and somehow know where to go from there?
 
dhodo said:
Are you familiar with Exuma - s/t or Exuma II? It seems in at least a similar vein in that it is also focused on a spiritual tradition of the African diaspora, although Obeah instead of Voodoo. Great albums. I don't know if I could really judge the true authenticity of either, if that's even possible.

Edit: Just want to say these two albums are highly recommended for anyone that afro-carribean freak folk sounds intriguing to. Mama Loi, Papa Loi is a standout from memory.
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I have not. I will now be keeping an eye out for some copies.
 
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