ragothlham#YearOfVinyl Day 99: Jason Isbell - “Southeasten.” No one writes a love song like a Southern man. Going on a little trip, so will have limited access to vinyl for a couple weeks, but we’ll see.
#YearOfVinyl Day 98: Temple of the Dog - “Temple of the Dog.” Having just recently lost a family member, and it being the anniversary of Chris Cornell’s passing, it seemed fitting to put on this, one of the best grunge albums ever made, by a supergroup mourning the loss of a friend. Say Hello 2 Heaven indeed.
#YearOfVinyl Day 97: Dio - “The Last in Line.” From Ronnie and the Red Caps, to the Prophets, to Elf, to Rainbow, to Sabbath, to Dio…Ronnie James Dio has always been one of the most powerful voices in music, and there is a part of me that really misses his sort of hopeful fantasy lyrics.
#YearOfVinyl Day 96: OutKast - “Speakerboxxx / The Love Below.” Probably one of the best albums of all time? Southern hip hop and P-Funk mashed up against avant-garde jazz pop rap: truly a masterpiece of two endlessly creative artists moving in different musical directions. I think when this came out I was all about The Love Below side, but over time, I’ve really come to favor Speakerboxxx.
#YearOfVinyl Day 95: The Eagles - “Hotel California.” Going back to some classics tonight post-work to just chill out.
#YearOfVinyl Day 94: Dr. Dre - “The Chronic.” Probably the most influential album on the sound of g-funk, and definitely a throwback to driving around with my older sister.
#YearOfVinyl Day 93: Dorthia Cottrell - “Death Folk Country.” I’ve been a fan of Windhand for a long time, and Dorthia’s solo work is equally impressive. Growing up in the same sort of area of the Appalachians, there’s a lot of this that sounds like home. Dark folk that often focuses a lot on death, alcohol, lust, and rebirth, in a way. It sounds like doom stripped of all the artifice of screaming guitars.
#YearOfVinyl Day 92: Blood Ceremony - “The Old Ways Remain.” Damn. Just damn. Admittedly, I have a thing for the whole retro-occult vibe generally, and have all of Blood Ceremony’s previous releases. But this is really a perfect fusion of doom, psych, acid, folk, and witchy vibes. Really want to just put this on for a couple more spins.
#YearOfVinyl Day 91-ish: Wanda Jackson: “Rockabilly Queen.”
There’s something about live music that I really needed a few days to come down from and sort of process. An absolutely amazing three-day festival by Perpetual Flame Ministries and the Rev. Kristin Hayter.
I can’t really explain it, but somehow, after Lingua Ignota, a little Wanda Jackson seemed appropriate. As it says on the tin, the Queen of Rockabilly. Lotta, lotta attitude.
#YearOfVinyl Day 90: PM Dawn - “The Bliss…? Album.” At the time reviewed as a total rejection of contemporary rap and hip-hop, I prefer to see it as another expression of what was possible within that space, and veering into R&B and pop as well. Really an excellent blast from the 90’s.