november/15 playlist

With uncanny witchery in its changed trees

The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 7

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| Lone Star Blues |

lowlands studio band - trash one || boot hill - no control || lowell fulsom - why don't we do it in the road || the fabulous thunderbirds - rich woman || lightnin' hopkins - mojo hand || juke boy bonner - running shoes || bobby "blue" bland - ain't no love in the heart of the city || pee wee crayton - blues after hours || fenton robinson - you don't know what love it || willie cooper & the webs - you don't love nobody || webs - little girl blue || the tonettes - my heart can feel the pain || don & the doves - together || little jr. jesse and the teardrops - if you don't love me || d.o.a. - lady tell me why || insight out - my loneliness || next exit - take a look at your friends || circus - give me time || nikki sudden - wedding dress || sassy - she's my daughter || mother lion - simple house || linda crowe - i still remember || bobby welch - beneshaw glenn || mourning sun - where's my love gone today || sage - i found my music

october/15 playlist

Filling your dreams to the brim with fright.

september/15 playlist

Letting go of the old, making way for the new.

august/15 playlist

Soak it up, while there's still some left.

july/15 playlist

Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground.

Home (Demo) - Lily McQueen

Brooklyn based singer Lily McQueen captures well the restlessness of early adulthood. Closing out an EP heavier on danceable summer vibes than quiet introspection, the demo for her track “Home” is a stripped down take on leaving what you know in order to know yourself. Her voice sits beautifully atop an echoing guitar and toe tapping snare drum, while the verses loop as though she needs reassuring of the decision to leave. McQueen reassures that her departure is not permanent, but that she must achieve an independent self-discovery before home keeps her still too long.

Catch the release show for Lily McQueen’s self-titled EP tomorrow night at Elvis Guesthouse.

The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 6

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| Women in the Blues |

koko taylor - blue prelude || big mama thorton - wade in the water || jo ann kelly - whose been telling you buddy brown eyes || jessie mae hemphill - jump baby jump || ada richards - i'm drunk and i'm real high || linda ballentine - you're a hard habit to break || helene smith - true love don't grow on trees || the tonettes - i gotta know || jean wells - after loving you || shirley ann lee - how can i lose || sister rosetta thorpe - up above my head || buffy sainte-marie - a soulful shade of blue || janis joplin - me and bobby mcgee & mercedez benz | christine mcvie - and that's saying a lot || precious bryant - the truth || ginny reilly - wildman || jolie holland - rex's blues || sibylle baier - tonight || first aid kit - emmylou || karen dalton - something on your mind || alison krauss, emmylou harris, gillian welch - didn't leave nobody but the baby

Trouble Knows Me - Madlib & Sam Herring

Madlib has reemerged for the first time since 2014's stellar Freddie Gibbs collab Piñata with another excellent teaming. With the help of Future Island's front man Sam Herring under the name Trouble Knows Me, Madlib comes through with another classic. An unlikely collaborator despite his brief history as an emcee, Herring's delivery compliments the beat perfectly, with just enough rasp to allow you momentarily forget the beautifully eery croon of his day job. Listen to the track below.

Trouble Knows Me's self-titled EP is out September 1 via Madlib Invazion.

Young Assumption - T. Hardy Morris

Last month Dangerbird Records released T. Hardy Morris's Drownin on a Mountaintop, a project he credits to his latest outfit Hardy & The Hardknocks. Hailing from the unlikely musical hub of Athens, Georgia, Hardy's catalog includes southern twinged music both as a solo artist and member of the grunge/alt/country band Dead Confederate. On his latest record, Hardy has takes elements of his previous work and gives it depth and warmth. Plenty of reverb and noise still resonates on the surface, but a softer Allman-esque accompaniment on the backing guitar strikes a cozier sound.

Below, listen to the album's opening track "Young Assumption", a song lamenting the idea of venturing out of the house when everything that is sought is available right where you are.  

june/15 playlist

Do what we can, summer will have its flies.




track listing below the fold

Family Tree, Vol. 1: Grown So Ugly

Introducing the first installment of Family Tree, a new series at Hangover Mass where we're shining a light on songs and the artists who've adapted them over the years.

| Grown So Ugly |

Robert Pete Williams: "Grown So Ugly" is a song born of bitterness and frustration from a man who spent twelve years in jail and many more in servitude parole for a murder done in self-defense. Apostasy is what Williams did best. His music never followed traditional blues tunings or chord progressions, yet he did so for some intended effect. We see this here: a single guitar theme played ad nauseam with very little modification, mimicking the sickness griping him as he's forced to meet the aged man he's become.

 

Captain Beefheart: The Captain Beefheart version appears on the 1967 album, Safe As Milk, recorded alongside his rotating cast of supporting musicians, the Magic Band. While the first half of the cover is a replica of William's tune, Beefheart builds into the verse a chilling variation. The narrator visits an old girlfriend who no longer recognizes him as the man she had once loved. Ry Cooder's composition brings a jittery pace to the budding story and emphasizes the narrator's emotional crisis.

 

The Black Keys: Among the handful of covered tracks on The Black Keys' Rubber Factory, none is more well-taken than "Grown So Ugly." Covers aren't meant to be verisimilitudes of the originals - they are best served as caricatures that accentuate certain aspects. The Black Key's deliver that wonderfully here as Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney wring out as much dread as they can from the Cooder arrangement. Carney beats the hell out of the drums in measured amounts and Auerback spins contorted riffs howling with distortion.
 

The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 5

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| International |

rory gallagher - sinner boy || derek & the dominoes - tell the truth || chicken shack - when my left eye jumps || taste - catfish || mick taylors - alabama || jo ann kelly - me and my chauffeur blues || alexis korner - mary, open the door || duster bennett - bright lights, big city || pep laguarda & tapineria - caseta del plater || groupe folklorique montagnais - tshekuan mak tshetutamak || chico buarque - jorge maravilha || tabaco - samantha || pappo - hombre suburbano || yamoah's band - nkrabea || orchestra baobab - mouhamado bamba || ali farka toure - bakoytereye || boubacar traore - mali twist

The Walters - Songs for Dads

Bandcamp, among other sites like it, provides independent artists a channel to distribute their own music, free of charge. Once the barrier of a formal label is removed, the volume of content grows exponentially, and deep within the piles of additions there are gems to be found. Over the past few years, I have stumbled into excellent music of various styles via Bandcamp. The latest beneficiary of this DIY model is the Chicago quintet The Walters, and their spectacular debut EP from November, Songs For Dads.

The pop style of these five young men borrows from both the harmonized sounds of the 1960s and successful independent acts of recent years. Songs For Dads plays a bit like the Beach Boys attempted by kids who grew up on the Morning Benders. Two members of the group, Luke Olson and Michael James Tirabassi, each have a voice that can carry a song on its own, an advantage that manifests the album's gorgeous harmonies. Olson, who helms the single "I Love You So", has a softer delivery, fitting for the light mood of the four tracks on which he takes the lead. His voice is timid as the nervous romantic dressed for a date on "Fancy Shoes", easy to imagine with his hands clasped behind his back, anxiously rocking his weight from heel to toe. The Walters' music suits their youth, while also showing off some wisdom and experience with an unexpected and well timed use of trumpet to compliment the song's quiet boyishness.

The deputy vocalist, on the other hand, carries in his voice a cool confidence. Tirabassi's two tracks on Songs, "New Girl (Tom's Song)" and "What's Left", find him delivering bad news that he is happy to finally deliver. The songwriting is authentic in its insincere sadness, with both songs epitomizing the demise of young love from the perspective of the unburdened person choosing to end it. "New Girl" struts more than any track on the record, a not-really-sorry apology for having moved on to newer and greener pastures.



Independent artists and indie music are not always synonymous. In a musical environment where words like pop and rock are no longer nearly specific enough, the Walters' tunes were written with just enough quirk to intentionally file under indie. For better or worse, self identification as indie often requires a matching aesthetic; a young, handsome, charismatic front man wearing suspenders on stage gives off a slightly calculated taste.

Luckily for The Walters, and for us Bandcamp needle hunters, their music stands on its own. Good not just as indie pop, but as excellent, well crafted, and layered pop music.

Listen Up: Late at Nite

Songs for last call stragglers, stumbled walks home, and insomniacs.

The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 4

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| Psychedelics |

the blues train - ride the train || the moving sidewalks - 99th floor || the blues magoos - tobacco road || the blues project - i can't keep from crying || tabaco - desintegracion || doug sahm - it's gonna be easy || kaleidoscope - hesitation blues || greenwood, curlee & clyde - change || tom waits - cold water || the yardbirds - steeled blues || led zeppelin - bron-y-aur stomp || john mayall & the bluesbreakers - hideaway || chicken shack - poor boy || speed, glue & shinki - mr. walking drugstore man || yahowha 13 - just sitting here || the other half - mr. pharmacist || the shadows of the knight - light bulb blues || the electric prunes - get me to the world on time || the renowns - my mind's made up || savoy brown - hellbound train || daddy long legs - i feel so electric || heavy balloon - barnyard blues || mount carmel - livin' like i wanna

The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 3

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| Louisiana |

robert pete williams - grown so ugly || smoky babe - going downtown boogie || silas hogan - run around blues || clarence edwards - lonesome bedroom blues || larry garner - another bad day || robert cage - get outta here ||  moses "whispering" smith - harmonica twist || slim harpo - i'm a king bee ||  lightnin' smith - g.i. blues || lonnie brooks - voodoo daddy || rockin' sydney - something working baby || lonesome sundown - it ain't right || elton anderson - too tired || clarence garlow - purty little dolly || little bob - make up my mind || al smith - you wanna do me wrong || carol fran - please stand by me || guitar gable - this should go on forever || nathan abshire - pine grove blues || john delafose - loan me your hankerchief || clifton chenier - louisiana blues || professor longhair - go to the mardi gras || dr. john - getaway || lucinda williams - i lost it

I Threw It All Away - Live At Isle Of Wight

"It's nice to be working with The Band again. We're just getting in a bit of practice."

Bob Dylan's set at 1969's Isle of Wight Festival was his first live performance in over three years. Rumors circulated the British festival grounds that he may be accompanied on stage by one or multiple members of the Beatles, and anticipation turned into expectation. The audience set their collective bar unreachably high, yet as has often been the case with Dylan, revisionist history canonizes his performances that were panned by firsthand accounts. Isle of Wight fits within Dylan history alongside the calls of "Judas" and his most criminally unappreciated works.

Dylan was on show in his best light. The country twang of Nashville Skyline influenced the setlist, and with his old friends and champions of the new sound of country rock at his side, the output was genuine. The crowd's hopes dictated the immediate evaluation of the performance, but hindsight gives us the opportunity for a more accurate assessment. From the limited video and extensive audio we have of this show, it is clear that Dylan had no rust to kick off.

Below watch "I Threw It All Away" from Nashville Skyline, which sees him flanked on stage by Rick Danko and Robbie Robertson, as off camera, the tones of Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Levon Helm are unmistakably heard.

may/15 playlist

Rough winds do shake the darling buds.

tracklist after the jump

The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 2

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| Chicago |

muddy waters - mannish boy || koko taylor - i'm a woman || elmore james - dust my broom || hound dog taylor - ain't got nobody || junior wells - snatch it back and hold it || paul butterfield blues band - i got my mojo workin' || buddy guy - she suits me to a tee || howlin' wolf - back door man || j.b. lenoir - mama talk to your daughter || jimmy reed - bright lights, big city || freddie king - me and my guitar || floyd jones - stockyard blues || albert king - as the years go passing by || big walter horton - christine || snooky pryor - drivin' dog || robert lockwood jr. - that's all right || carey bell - what my mama told me || little walter - roller coaster || lowell fulson - why don't we do it in the road || jimmy dawkins - b phur real || jimmy dawkins - back street blues || magic slim & the teardrop - mustang sally

"I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" - Jamie xx ft. Young Thug & Popcaan

Jamie xx has shared the fifth track from his upcoming debut LP In Colour. "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" features Atlanta rapper Young Thug and dancehall specialist Popcaan, over a sample of The Persuasian's 1971 track "Good Times." An earlier leaked version of the track hit the internet earlier in the month, but had slightly different production and lacked Popcaan's contributions.

"I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times) has all the makings of a major summer jam. Get a head start and stream it below.


Grab the track and the rest of In Colour, out on Young Turks, on June 2nd. <EC>

Give Me Back My Wig - Hound Dog Taylor

Bruce Iglauer had already known of Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor when he heard him and his band, The HouseRockers, play the popular South Side Chicago venue Florence's Lounge in late 1970. So moved by the rare and potent energy of that live show, he tried without success to convince his employer at the time, Delmark Records, to sign the group. Iglauer would eventually found his own label just so he could record and produce them. His impetuous project conceived the now famous Alligator Records.

In a 1998 interview, Iglauer spoke about his first impression of Hound Dog and his inevitable appreciation for the bluesman's talents:

"He would start songs for 15-20 seconds, stop and try to start another thing. Then he'd tell these incomprehensible jokes, crack up in the middle of the joke and bury his face in his hands. He'd light a Pell Mell, tell another weird joke, put the Pell Mell on the mike stand, start into another song that would fall apart instantly. But he was so funny looking - a tall, gawky guy, very thin, huge toothy grin. Everybody naturally loved him. I just kind of assumed that he was a clown. I thought that nobody took him seriously as a musician but they liked him because he was a cool guy.

He kept telling me that I should come to his gigs. He mentioned that he was playing at a place called Florence's Lounge on the South Side. It was a Sunday afternoon gig and nobody else had a gig on Sunday afternoon that I knew of...[He and his band] played for three hours straight. People were dancing in the aisles and on the seats and lots of people were sitting in. Lots of people were really drunk and they were shooting dice outside and the energy level was fantastic. Everybody knew Hound Dog and the music was totally raw and absolutely infectious. That's when I reassessed Hound Dog Taylor." <TM>

Listen Up: Spring Fling

Grab your best guy or gal. <TM>

Whiskey Woman - Flamin' Groovies

On no other merit than a name, we easily dismiss some bands. With our perfectly calibrated understanding of what hip musicians should call themselves, we routinely disregard groups like the Flamin' Groovies. Let this be a lesson that we should be conscious of our silent typecastings.

Formed in 1965 in San Francisco by Ron Greco, Cyril Jordan, and Roy Lonely, the Flamin' Groovies are recognized primarily for their contributions to the power pop movement of the 1970s. But their music is actually best defined by the way it creeps into other adjacent genres.

"Whiskey Woman", from 1971's Teenage Head is a sound example. Seductive swells in the opening sequence frame the contrasts heard later on. A pair of guitars carry bluesy themes and riffs that punctuate the refrain. These dueling instruments come together in a rugged pop coda that brings the tune to its close. Suspend your expectations and give it a listen. <TM>

The Hangover Mass Blues Show: Episode 1

A bi-monthly blues program spinning vintage and contemporary sounds from the Mississippi Delta and beyond:

| Mississippi Delta |

robert belfour - hill stomp || junior kimbrough - lord have mercy || r.l. burnside - jumper hanging on a line || howlin' wolf - back door man || charles caldwell - alone for a long time|| asie payton - i love you || jimmy lee williams - have you seen peaches || willie dixon - i can't quit you, baby || cecil barfield - georgia bottleneck blues || boyd rivers and ruth may rivers - come out the wilderness || walter horton - need my baby || jimmy dawkins - b phur real || lurrie bell - smokin' dynamite || lowell fulson - why don't we do it in the road || junior wells - snatch it back and hold it || smokey wilson - want to do it to you || j.w. warren - hoboing into hollywood || john lee zeigler - if i lose let me loose || jimmy lee williams - hoot your belly || john lee zeigler - used to be mine but look who got her now ||  belton southerland - blues #2 || a.a. bondy - vice rag || dr. isaiah ross - feel so good || j.b. lenior - talk to your daughter || junior kimbrough - meet me in the city ||

Revisited: The Georgia Sea Island Singers

The Atlantic coast that stretches from South Carolina to Florida is scattered with over one hundred barrier islands within miles from the shore. Saint Simons is one such island, allocated to Glynn County, Georgia, and despite its recent development as a resort community, has history dating back two hundred years before European contact. The island later served as a hub for cotton production, like many of the neighboring Sea Islands, and became the adopted home to generations of slaves and their ancestors. It was here that Gullah culture was birthed to preserve the African customs, and it was out of Gullah culture that the music of the Georgia Sea Island Singers came to be.

Headbanging in the Mirror - Ducktails

Ducktails has returned with the new track "Headbanging in the Mirror," just in time to make everybody's summer playlist. The song picks up where Ducktails left off with 2013's The Flower Lane  LP and Wish Hotel EP, as a tight, melodic, lolloping bedroom pop tune. With a title that's more reflective of the blissful feeling that comes from rocking out than something you'll find yourself along with  the song, "Headbanging in the Mirror" is the perfect accompaniment to taking a deep breath and taking it easy.

"Headbanging in the Mirror" is the first single from Ducktails' forthcoming LP St. Catherine, out July 24th on Domino. <EC>

april/15 playlist

A spirit of youth in everything.
 

Listen Up: Great Outdoors

Welcome back nice weather, get outdoors. <PM>

Gross - Jonwayne

Enough novelty was tied in to the rap career of Jonwayne that his projects would earn buzz, albeit only within the ever-blurring borders of “underground” hip hop. There were his aptly titled, only-available-on-tape-deck Stones Throw mixtapes. There was the Philip Morris lawsuit that followed the Cassette. Then of course there is his name, shared with, but not lifted from America’s favorite cowboy (unlike The Duke, Jonwayne’s moniker is his given name).  But once novelty wore thin, the substance had to pack a punch worthy of the legendary Stones Throw stamp of approval.

The native of La Habra, California began his ascent as a beatsmith before laying his signature voice over his own productions. His first release on Stones Throw didn’t even feature a tracklist, just two sides of a tape cassette, four raps on one, their corresponding instrumentals on the other. Before being told to cease and desist by the world’s largest seller of cigarettes due to their similarities in packaging, the tape was highly sought after, due both to its limited release and Jonwayne’s breakout performance.

The opening track of Cassette, “Gross”, samples Johnnie Taylor’s soulful “I Worry About You” while Jon rhymes about the differentiators between himself and the remainder of the rap game; the worry is addressed to his competition. He flows with simultaneous lethargy and quickness, reminiscent of another portly MC once signed to Stones Throw. References to the Flintstones and shout-outs to his label pop up out of nothing, requiring a momentary rewind in order to fully grasp the line. With his skill set, it does indeed define baffling that his fame has not grown. Cassette should have taken on the hallowed status of his labelmates. Jonwayne’s lack of stardom feels unfair. That is, until you remember that it is very much by design. <PM>

Quick Glance - Holiday - Keath Mead

Sounds like: The structure of and solo from "Let It Be" as sung by Paul Simon, plus samples of ray-guns and UFOs. Produced by Toro y Moi's Chaz Bundick and released on his Company Records label. <EC>

Dust In The Sky - EZTV

No, the torrent site is not getting into music making. As their Captured Tracks bio describes them, "EZTV are three American guys... who make American Music. That's all you really need to know when listening to their first released track," the below "Dust in the Sky." This simple description is apt - the band's music has a timeless American sound of jangly pop with just the right amount of twang in their guitars.

"Dust in the Sky" is the A-side of a 7" due out April 28th on Captured Tracks. <EC>

When I'm Dead And Gone/Lazy Afternoon - McGuinness Flint

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, some of the world’s most talented rock musicians were taking part in an elaborate game of musical chairs. Bands like John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Humble Pie, Cream, and various others contributed to a revolving door of talent, as artists collaborated with their peers to determine the quality of each lineup. On the outskirts of this circle, Tom McGuinness of Manfred Mann and Hughie Flint, former drummer for Mayall, came together in 1970 to form the short-lived group McGuinness Flint.

The band's first release was the single “When I’m Dead And Gone”, a cheery look ahead at a future that does undoubtedly move on without us. Graham Lyle’s mandolin, in one of the earliest contemporary uses of that instrument, keeps the mood light, while his vocals reassure his loved ones not to fret at his eventual passing. "When I'm Dead And Gone" brought the group mild fame, as the song peaked at #2 on the UK charts in late 1970.

Less commercial success came for the single's B-side, "Lazy Afternoon" but it presents perhaps a more accurate introduction to McGuinness Flint. Their debut sounds like the roots-rock normally associated with American South, and the better tracks from their self-titled first album would fit well alongside the likes of the Allman Brothers. The influence of The Band is plainly apparent; the album’s cover even looks like a leftover from Elliott Landy’s iconic Woodstock photo shoots. Imitation is not grounds for dismissal however, and McGuinness Flint offered original songs that file neatly within the Americana genre revitalized by The Band. Impressive work for a group made up of three Brits and two Scotsmen. <PM>

Still As The Night - Eerie Wanda

The Dutch speak better English than most natives - and if Eerie Wanda is any indication - they sing better too. Lead by singer-songwriter Marina Tadic, this four person outfit from Amsterdam has been producing music together since early 2014. Earlier this year, the group took advantage of the opportunity to open for the Allah-Las for parts of the L.A. band's European tour. We should expect to hear more commotion from Eerie Wanda, with several sites reporting an album release for 2015.

Their cover of the original by Sanford Clark is a hauntingly true rendition. Tadic is a siren with Clark's dire words, while blue-lipped backing vocals round out the refrain. Anodyne pauses and sleepy drum beats are appropriate for the love deprived lyrics. Even as spring arrives, this song brings a chill. <TM>

Fishin' Pole - The Mighty Hannibal

R&B in the 1960s was a flourishing genre that didn't demand much innovation. The Mighty Hannibal, born James Timothy Shaw, intuitively understood this - but also pushed on it to render R&B dramas wholly different from what was done before.

Though most famous for his flamboyant funk shows, Shaw showed respect for social and political matters. What may have fueled his sensitivity to diverse themes were the various careers he held during his lifetime. Beyond music, he was an entertainment editor for the Atlanta Voice, bit part actor in off-Hollywood productions, and pimp.

Shaw passed away in early 2014 at the age of 74. He was active in music production up until his death, even contributing to Leon Russell and Elton John's The Union in 2009.

In 2001, the compilation Hannibalism was released by Norton Records. "Fishin' Pole" appears on the album as a good reminder of the lighter, more sensual nature of his music.  We recommend giving it all a listen, but don't be surprised if you're struck by sobering songs along the way. <TM>

Quick Glance - Lê Almeida - Céu do Quintal

Sounds like: If Blue album Weezer , Apples in Stereo, and Jackson Scott had foregone their "a, b, c"s for "á, bê, cê"s. <EC>