Spend Halloween with Jeff Tweedy, Harry Smith, Aquiles Navarro & Tcheser Holmes
I hope you have a blessed Samhain...
I’m Jason Boucher, and welcome to Nocturnal, a weekly newsletter about sound + music where I highlight some of the best new music and streaming video. I’ll be dispensing related links about music and film news that I hope you dig. I don’t know about you, but I get excited for new records, reissues, soundtracks, and live music—so I’m sharing with you! My hope is this newsletter increases awareness of the extraordinary music & art communities all over the world, even if it’s just a smidgen. Questions? jason.boucher@icloud.com
This Week, it’s 🎃 Halloween, or is it Samhain…
Unfortunately Salem, MA is closed for Halloween this year due to the pandemic — it’s just another feather in the incompetence cap worn by Donald Tr*mp and his do-nothing administration. It must be an extra scary feeling in Salem this year as local businesses and restaurants, who depend on the annual Halloween holiday traffic, look for other ways to survive the long winter months ahead. If you can, throw them a few bones.
🎧 What I’m Listening To This Week
Aquiles Navarro & Tcheser Holmes Heritage of the Invisible II (International Anthem)
Hailing from New York City, this telepathic Afro-Caribbean improvisational trumpet-and-percussion duo began at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA some years back. They just released their debut album for International Anthem and it’s a holy mix of genre-bending abstract jazz and percussion. Both gentlemen are members of Irreversible Entanglements, a phenomenal jazz, poetry and avant-garde collective that also features Moor Mother, Luke Stewart, and Keir Neuringer. Heritage of the Invisible II has ten deep-thinking tracks and is available now of vinyl, CD, or digital download. Pueblo is one of my favorite tracks with Holmes’ constant, multi-layered percussion living behind Navarro’s intense trumpet. This album is abstract, but it’s not way out in left field - it has tremendous production and I recommend listing with headphones. It’s pure poetry.
Jeff Tweedy Love Is The King (DBpm)
The songwriting here is top notch, but so is the entire presentation. Tweedy wrote the songs, performed the album with his sons Spencer and Sammy, and co-produced it with Tom Schick (producer of Wilco, Ryan Adams, Real Estate). From the opening title track through the last, it’s a trouble-free listen full of ups and downs, twangy and percussive—a nice album for the Autumn season and falling temperatures. I fell in love with Opaline upon the first listen—great beat, slide guitar, and the wise lyrics of Jeff Tweedy. This album is Americana rock n roll at it’s best and it’s a family affair with a lot of it recording in quarantine. Oh, another favorite track is Guess Again, with perfect structure, delicate electric guitar that never gets out of control or hides behind the rhythmic acoustic strums. This album is top 2020 release for me. Vinyl and CD will be available on Jan. 15th but you can download the digital release today.
Various Artists Harry Smith B-Sides (Dust to Digital)
A brand new beautifully designed box set was just released from Dust to Digital that contains the other side of each 78 rpm record from the original ‘Anthology of American Folk Music’ collection originally released in 1952 by Folkways Records. Some names you might recognize on this collection include The Carter Family, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie Johnson, Doc Boggs, and Blind Lemon Jefferson. There are many more names you probably don’t recognize, but the songs are mixed and mastered for a wonderfully clear sound—you won’t be disappointed. Due to licensing, this release is only available on CD and not available for digital download. With this collection and the original Folkways box set, this history major is listening to historic American music once again and it’s simply wondrous to hear these classic, old recordings. Thank you, Harry Smith!
Monster Mash - Bobby Pickett
I Put a Spell on You - Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
Bela Legosi’s Dead - Bauhaus
Halloween - The Misfits
Ghost in the Graveyard - The Prairie Ramblers
Haunted House - Ray Stevens
Goo Goo Muck - The Cramps
The Devil’s Ball - Maurice Burkhart
Haunted House Blues - Bessie Smith
Cemetery Polka - Tom Waits
This Reading List
A Guide to the Music of Archie Shepp, Who Kept Jazz Vitally Political
Halloween’s Not Canceled: Here’s How to Make It Spooky but Safe
The Watch List
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)
Sports Night (Amazon Prime)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Prime)
Nocturnal: A Sound + Music Experience is delivered fresh each Tuesday evening through an ominous freeform cloud featuring hubbub from then and now. Listen live Tuesdays at 8pm EST on WSCA, or the next day via Mixcloud.
The October 20th episode featured new independent rock, a great psych rock set, and some new and retro electronic music. Here’s the playlist:
Budgie Crash Course in Brain Surgery (Repertoire)
Beth Bombara Revolution 1 (Lemp Electric)
Jeff Tweedy Gwendolyn (dBpm Records)
Matt Berninger Collar Of Your Shirt (Concord Records)
The Bats Another Door (Flying Nun Records)
Sam Roberts Band I Like the Way You Talk About the Future (Known Accomplice)
Arbouretum Let It All In (Thrill Jockey)
Föllakzoid 9 (Sacred Bones Records)
Gong Fohat Digs Holes in Space (Charly)
Pink Floyd One of These Days (Columbia/Legacy)
Phish Fast Enough for You (Elektra Records)
The Twilite Tone Space Invaders (Stones Throw Records)
HEALTH MASS GRAVE (Loma Vista Recordings)
Depeche Mode Behind the Wheel (Venusnote Ltd.)
Caribou You and I (City Slang)
Aphex Twin Pancake Lizard (Warp Records)
Jamie xx Hold Tight (Young Turks Recordings Ltd)
Autechre Metaz form8 (Warp Records)
Sarah Davachi Diaphonia Basilica (version) (Late Music)
Flying Saucer Attack Instrumental Wish (VHF)
See you next week… - JB