Love Music & Art With Conviction
The newsletter returns after a brief hiatus... Love Your Family, Love Yourself.
I’m Jason Boucher and welcome to Nocturnal, a weekly newsletter about sound + music where I highlight some of the best new music, podcasts, and stories about art & music. Only my best effort is used to dispense interesting news, information, and reviews along with related links that I hope you dig. I get way too excited for new music and film, reissues, and podcasts, so I’m sharing my delight with you! Questions? jason.boucher@icloud.com
Today in the newsletter: Learn about William Parker’s incredible new 10 CD release, saying goodbye to Chick Corea with a beautiful playlist by the New York Times, Chicago’s Sooper Records, podcasts about how your favorite band sucks… or the brilliant pop of the 1980s, you decide. Also a quick catch up on Oscar worthy films, my radio show is coming back, and more…
But first…
I lost my father-in-law a little over a week ago and it was very sudden. I’ll miss his stories and the many redundant history lessons, but most of all I’ll miss just hanging out, sharing a meal, and getting his advice on how to fix just about anything. He was one of a kind and he will truly be missed by many. Rest in peace, Phil. ❤️
Listen Up!
William Parker ‘Migration of Silence Into and Out of The Tone World’ Vol. 1–10 (AUM Fidelity)
William Parker is a fantastic bassist, but he’s also a phenomenal composer. Besides music, poetry is something that also defines him. This extraordinary 10-disc release showcases different performers on each album in this collection. If you purchase this, reading the liner notes and lyrics are quite enjoyable, too. Limited availability on CD, but available for digital purchase.
Sparkle Division ‘To Feel Embraced’ (Temporary Residence)
Modern composer William Basinski and his west coast assistant Preston Wende (a.k.a. Shania Taint) have created something unique. A jazzy, electronic infused masterpiece to repose to complete with Basinksi playing saxophone. It’s available on LP, CD, or digital. I can’t get enough of You Ain’t Takin’ My Man.
Podcasts To Peruse
Your Favorite Band Sucks and Tyler Mahan Coe and Mark Mosley say there’s no such thing as good art and that it’s a red flag for anyone to have a favorite band. It’s actually a very funny podcast.
Dissect analyzes one album per season, one song per episode and dives deep into each album. Currently they’re dissecting Childish Gambino's Because the Internet.
Lost Notes is a collection of the greatest music stories never told. This season the poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib explores a single year: 1980 - the brilliant, awkward and sometimes heartbreaking opening to a monumental decade in popular music.
This Week’s Reading List
The Watch List
Again, this week’s list includes more Oscar-worthy films you just need to see…
Nocturnal, The Radio Show
Nocturnal is unprocessed freeform radio delivered Tuesday evenings on WSCA. Featuring new music and a variety of hubbub from then & now. Listen and join the live chat each week. Nocturnal returns February 16, 2021 at 6 pm. after a 2-week hiatus.
Thanks for reading… - JB