Inspiration can from so many possible unexpected sources and experiences. In pulling together the music for this week's show, novel influences informed part of the show's playlist. Aside from the new tracks played, and there were several standout tracks (checkout the playlist here), as well as recent favorites, I wove in a couple tracks by The Beach Boys and The Jam. Why? I was inspired by two documentaries viewed this past week: The Beach Boys: Making Pet Sounds and The Jam: About the Young Idea. I highly recommend watching both whether you are familiar with, or not familiar with, the subjects of these two films. The Beach Boys/Brian Wilson's Pet Sounds years have been well documented, but it was a time that is amazingly rich with stories, influences, and interesting musical perspectives that make-up the heart and soul of this recent documentary. Common themes and threads that have surfaced in other documentaries about this time period appear here, but there are still gems that surface—in-studio sound recordings and some fresh band member insights—make it a compelling watch. The documentary, The Jam: About the Young Idea focuses on a band that in the late '70s and early 80's had more of a cult following in the US, but a much larger core of loyal fans and followers in the UK, specifically, and Europe, generally. Featuring the original band members, as well as compelling stories shared by fans and followers whose lives were forever changed by The Jam and their music, this documentary about The Jam provides a much needed foundation, a beginning, of much needed insight and perspective on this band and its contribution to music from this period. Well worth watching. Checkout this week's playlist to sample the results of my mining for sounds this week.
Also, please checkout the fourth Alloy podcast episode featuring my conversation with musician and new renaissance artist, Elizabeth A. Baker. You can find all you need to know about that episode here. Lend an open ear and give it a listen. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Elizabeth and hope you do as well.
Finally, don't forget that you can listen to all of the music from the last episode, “Garden Fresh” (click here). This week's artwork, “psychedelic tapestry” is by yours truly and you can view my other visual offerings on instagram. Thanks for looking and listening!
| Compostion | Artist | Album | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Guajiro | Nicholas Payton | Nicholas Payton/Afro Caribbeann Mix Tape |  |
| Awakening | Hermon Mehari | Bleu | |
| The Starry Night | Billy Childs | Rebirth | |
| Shared Stories | Alex Wintz | Lifecycle | |
| Ecaroh | Louis Hayes | Serenade for Horace |  |
| Power Of Peace | New York Electric Piano | Keys To The City Volumes 1 & 2 | |
| The New Fragrance | The Great Harry Hillman | Tilt |  |
| Giguère: Le Sel de la Terre | Thin Edge New Music Collective and Ensemble Paramirabo | Raging Against The Machine | Sorry, not available, yet. |
| Side A | Michel Banabila | Sound Years | |
| Wouldn't It Be Nice | The Beach Boys | Pet Sounds | |
| Pet Sounds | The Beach Boys | Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys | |
| Start! | The Jam | Sound Affects | |
| English Rose | The Jam | All Mod Cons | |
| Give Up The Ghost | Radiohead | The King Of Limbs | |