Watershed Nature Center

 A few photos from a recent trip to the Watershed:

Dandelion

 This was taken w/ my "big" zoom, at 400mm (600mm equivalent).  At maz zoom (400mm).  From just 10-12- away, it makes for a pretty good closeup!

Bluebirds

We put up a bluebird house this year, for the first time.  It took about 24 hours for bluebirds to show up.  We've been having fun watching them.
 

Staking Claim

March 26, 2024

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Lunchtime

April 15, 2024

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Eggs!

April 13, 2024

Jake and Mikayla

 

I mentioned yesterday that we had seen Jake and Mikayla during our recent trip to Gatlinburg.  For those that don't know, Jake and Mikayla are a country duo from Casey, Illinois.  They attended our church for a while when they were in school, and I played in praise band (bass) with them for a couple of years.  Good people, very talented.  They mostly play around Southern Illinois, but do occasionally make it further out, As the recent Saturday/Sunday gig at Ole Red in Gatlinburg attests.  

I genuinely think they're good, better than a lot of stuff I hear on the radio.  Hopefully, they'll find whatever level of success they're looking for!

Check they out on Spotify, or if they're ever in your town!

Tennessee and Back

Cades Cove

 We took a long weekend recently and went to Gatlinburg / Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Our "excuse" was to go see Jake and Mikayla, who were playing at Ole Red in Gatlinburg.  But visiting the GSMNP was also a key part of the trip.  We could've seen Jake and Mikayla lots of places closer to home, after all.

Anyway, fun trip. Here's a few photos from Cades Cove, one of our favorite places:

Light

 Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography. 

- George Eastman

One Album A Day - 013

   One Album A Day - 012

 As I noted before, I've been working through the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, as presented though the 1001 album generator web site.  My goal is to present a week (or so) of reviews, once every week (or so).  

So here's the next few albums I listened to:

• # - Year - Album - Artist - Rating - Global
• 113 - 2012 - Blunderbuss - Jack White - 4 - 3.43
• 114 - 1957 - At Mister Kelly's - Sarah Vaughan - 3 - 3.42
• 115 - 2008 - Dear Science - TV On The Radio - 3 - 3.17
• 116 - 1998 - Moon Safari - Air 4 - 3.56
• 117 - 1996 - Murder Ballads - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - 1 - 3.11
• 118 - 1975 - Marcus Garvey - Burning Spear - 4 - 3.2
• 119 - 1974 - The Grand Tour - George Jones - 4 - 2.75
• 120 - 1993 - Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins - 3 - 3.8
• 121 - 1974 - Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan - 4 - 3.42
• 122 - 1998 - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill - 3 - 3.64
• 123 - 1971 - What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - 5 - 3.96
• 124 - 1974 - Phaedra - Tangerine Dream - 3 - 2.7

Here's my summary page.

And this posting's Reviews:

124 - Phaedra - Tangerine Dream - 3

I remember the name Tangerine Dream, I think a friend's brother had one of their albums (back in the mid '70's). But I don't know that I've ever listened to them. Wikipedia notes the album features Tangerine Dream's "now classic sequencer-driven sound", and this site tags this as electronica which is one of my worst rated genres (123 reviews in).

This is very ambient, background-y, kind of random. Instrumental, and mostly keyboard / synthesizers. No drums. Shades of early Pink Floyd meets Kraftwerk. None of that is necessarily bad. But after the 17 minute title track, I'm still waiting for this to do SOMETHING. It's pleasant enough, but doesn't really have any discernable melodies, and seems to sort of meander around between motifs. Another quote on Wikipedia calls it "Layer upon layer of futuristic sounds piled one on top of the other until the whole thing climaxes in some interstellar void". That actually is a good summary. Except 50 years later, it is not so futuristic. Definitely background music, might seem really "deep" if you're stoned. But I'm not.

This is rated 2.7/5 on the site, I think that's probably good. Since I can't give it 2.7, I'll have to round. I'll go 3/5 because it's at least a bit different, not like the generic 90's Brit-Pop that comes up too often. That's being really generous, but 2 just seems overly harsh.

Side note: only 2 of 4 tracks are on Spotify, representing just over 25% of the album's playing time. I listened via Youtube, where I was able to pull up the entire album.

123 - What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - 5

Make it easy: 5/5. I wish I could give it 6/5. I know this album well, it is one of the albums I would qualify as "important". Something everyone should listen to before they die.

This is music with a message. That can be really hard to pull off without being overbearing, but Marvin Gaye nails it here. The music carries the message, but the message doesn't get in the way of the music. The iconic songs "What's Going On", "Mercy Mercy Me" and "Inner City Blues" are... well... iconic. Among the best. The rest of the album ties in and it all ties together.

There's a reason this album is near the top of everybody's "Best Albums" lists

122 - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill - 3

This is an album that I've heard of for years, it is certainly renowned. But if I've heard anything from it, I don't know it. Wikipedia says "neo soul and R&B album with some songs based in hip hop soul and reggae". I went into this cautiously optimistic. First song is totally hip-hop, meh. The more soul songs are pretty good. The more hip-hop, the less I like it. Lyrics like "So I keep makin' the street's ballads / While you lookin' for dressin' to go with your tossed salad"?? That's just dumb.

There's a lot of spoken interludes between songs, but I find them more distracting than adding to the experience. And I frequently found myself wishing the songs were around 4 minutes long vs 5-6. I have nothing against long songs, as long as there's a point. These don't really hold up to the length (IMHO).

“Doo Wop” is a high point, the hip-hop singing is offset by the solid musical groove. Then we move to “Superstar”, which leaves me cold. really cold. And so on. The more soul songs are better, the more hip-hop, not so much. There’s several songs that are pretty good for the genre, though, I can understand why it was popular, without loving it.  Solid 3.

121 - Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan - 4

Another one that I own and like. This is Steely Dan's 3rd album, and the last one where they were technically a band, rather than a vehicle for Fagen and Becker. I say "technically" because there were more than a dozen other players augmenting the 5 members of the band.

Regardless, this is a great album, probably my 2nd favorite behind their first (Can't Buy A Thrill). It has all the things that make Steely Dan great: solid pop sensibilities over a slightly Jazzy groove. precise songwriting, solid musicianship, well produced. But it also has the things that can make Steely Dan a little irritating. They's a bit clinical, perhaps too "clean". The lyrics can trend toward obtuse. And there's just a certain feeling that these guys KNOW they're good, and that they're smarter than all us mortals who are lucky enough to listen to them. With a song about Charlie Parker, and a Duke Ellington cover, these guys let you know they understand and appreciate "real" music. With references to The Queen of Spain, Sqonk's tears and and Napoleon... well these guys are beyond the average.

All that said, this remains a very good album. Most of the songs are good to great, and none stink. "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is a prime 1974 single (#4 in US) and at least 1/2 of the album got solid AOR radio play. "Any Major Dude..." "Night by Night" and "Pretzel Logic" are outstanding. All my complaining doesn't change the fact that I enjoy this album, and have for years. Easily at least a 4. But not quite good enough to round to 4. I'll save that 5 for their debut, assuming it shows up on this list.

120 - Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins - 3

I certainly know OF the Smashing Pumpkins, though I couldn't name any songs off the top of my head. Digging into this, the sound is certainly familiar, and I'm pretty sure I've heard a few of these songs. But after an hour, it starts to blur together. Yeah it's grunge, and you can certainly hear similarities to Nirvana.

It OK, and has a few points that are higher than the rest. but nothing that hangs with me 30 years down the line. Solid 3, but nowhere near making 4.

3/5

119 - The Grand Tour - George Jones - 4

I’ve had some exposure to country music all along, starting with TV shows like Hee-Haw or Austin City Limits. And a few albums, notably compilations by Hank Williams and Buck Owens. But I wasn’t familiar with George Jones beyond the name.

I quite enjoyed this, though. It is classic 70’s country. The hit “Grand Tour” is pretty much the blueprint for “my baby left me” songs, and it really hits the mark. No footstompin’ music, and nothing like the “bro country” of today. This just oozes with heart and soul. Three chords and the truth.  Solid 4/5

118 - Marcus Garvey - Burning Spear - 4

My prior reggae experience is “The Harder They Come” soundtrack, Bob Marley’s “Legacy”, and a couple other pieces by people like Peter Tosh. It’s definitely a niche genre for me, but one I can appreciate, and occasionally enjoy.

I wasn’t familiar with Burning Spear, but this is certainly reggae. I’d say generic reggae, but that sounds like a negative. Maybe definitive is a better word. It has the relaxed, laid back groove that defines the genre, the primary driver of the songs. That and the vocal stylings. All very good. That said, it also has the one downside of reggae: it can all sort of blend together.

This is a solid offering, certainly worth the listen. There’s several standout songs, and all of it is good. This falls into the 3 to 4 range that is frightfully common as I go through the 1001 albums. I’ll round this one up, it is a refreshing change of pace, and a genre with which everybody should be familiar.  4/5

117 - Murder Ballads - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - 1

This is the 2nd Nick Cave album served up here. I rated that one “2”. This is more of the same, except the entire album is songs that relay the details of crimes of passion. Yeah, take a melancholy, mumbling singer, and have him recite grim and gory songs. With a healthy dose of gratuitous profanity. Yep, murder porn set to music. Example lyric: “I sang and I laughed, I howled and wept / I panted like a pup. / I blew a hole in Mrs Richard Holmes. / And her husband he stood up”…. Part of a 14.5 minute slog where he clinically describes 12 murders. No emotion, no passion, nothing. We don’t get a hint as to his motivations, the thoughts or fears of his victims…. Nothing. Just moderately graphic explanations as to how each is killed.

Seriously, 50+ minutes of this crap.

Apparently this was well received, though I can’t comprehend why. One Rolling Stone reviewer is quoted as saying “never before have manic elements elevated Nick Cave’s shtick to art”. Yeah, whatever…. I’ll stick with “crap”.

As before, the music isn’t horrible, though it is overall slow and slogging and dragging. Cave’s vocal style is not really singing, but more spoken in a morose, “I hate the world and myself” sort of tone.  Sorry, this doesn’t work for me at all. 1/5

116 - Moon Safari - Air - 4

The album kicks off well, with an interesting song, "La femme d'argent". Great groove, nice electric piano. Kind of Deodato meets Brian Auger and a dash of Kraftwerk. At its best, there's a smooth, jazz fusion feel. The longest song on the album, at just over 7 minutes.

It takes a notable step down for "Sexy Boy", with a decidedly inorganic sound, and useless vocals which mostly repeat the title over and over and over and over. Not a bad groove, though. "All I Need" rebounds. When they use "real' bass it groves so much better, and the vocals this time are carrying actual vocals.

It seems to bounce around between the two levels, really good, and OK. "Talisman" is great, "Remember " is meh.... etc.

But there's a charm here, and I overall enjoyed this album. Overall, I'd probably go 7/10 or 7.5/10. But this is a 5 point scale, and integers only. I'm rounding up today, because this is really interesting, and several of the songs are solidly good. So that's 4/5

115 - Dear Science - TV On The Radio - 3

Proof that all the good band names were used in the 20th century. TV on the Radio? At least we know it wasn't developed by a marketing agency. I've never heard of these guys, but looking at Wikipedia, it seems they were pretty well respected at the time.

They have some interesting things going on here, interesting rhythms, some cool vocal things in the background. Overall good sound. Not a huge fan of the lead singer, but not too detracting. Good variation in the songs, without seeming to ping-pong aimlessly. I enjoyed most of this, a couple of songs missed the (my) mark, but not badly. Not quite good enough to give it a 4, but super solid 3. Add it to the "check it out again" list.  3/5

114 - At Mister Kelly's - Sarah Vaughan - 3

I was a little disappointed here, but that could be a matter of expectations. It's fine , she's a great singer, but it didn't "wow" me. I'd really prefer a studio recording over live.

Easy 3, though. I was just hoping for more.  3/5

113 - Blunderbuss - Jack White - 4

Musically, this is pretty good. But I’m not a fan of Jack White’s singing voice. It seems like a cross between Cheech Marin on “Earache My Eye” and the guy from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Which is not (IMHO) a good thing.

But again, musically it is good. The songwriting is solid, the sound is good, nice variations in instrumentation and tone. There’s a lot of very nice piano scattered around. As the album progresses, I’m floating around between 3 and 4. But the further this goes the more I lean 4. Definitely will need to listen again.

4/5

BetterPhoto Contest - February

 BetterPhoto is one of the sites where I'm a long time member, and one of their key draws is a monthly photo contest.  It does, however, tend to take about a month for the results to roll through.

So the winners for the February contest were announced yesterday, and I received 1x 2nd place winner, and 3x Finalists.  Out of 19 total entries, that's 21% which is in line with my typical results.

1st Place:  None

2nd Place:

Shared Sunset

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Finalists: 

Common

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Richard's Brick

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Untitled

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Birds, Birds, Birds

 Yeah, I've always enjoyed birds.  From when we made feeders from milk cartons in first grade, on to today when I have several feeders in the backyard.  What can I say?

Anyway, lately, I discovered the "Sound ID" feature in Merlin Bird ID, and I've been logging birds heard in the back yard.  In 2x 5 minute sessions (at lunch time and after work), we heard:

• American Crow
• American Goldfinch
• American Tree Sparrow
• American Robin
• Blue Jay
• Carolina Chickadee
• Carolina Wren
• Dark-Eyed Junko
• Downy Woodpecker
• Eastern Bluebird
• Golden Crowned Kinglet
• House Finch
• House Sparrow
• Northern Cardinal
• Northern Flicker
• Pine Siskin
• Red Bellied Woodpecker
• Tufted Titmouse
• White Throated Sparrow

That's pretty cool, 19 different birds heard in my backyard in one day.  i have (not today) photographed all but 2 of those.

Week 13 (26 Mar – 1 April) Nature

 Week 13 (26 Mar – 1 April) Nature

Nature:  It’s everywhere and this week’s prompt is wide open.

 So there's this thing called Capture52, where they provide a prompt per week, and you're supposed to post a photo.  I've started it a couple of times but never made it very far.  I made it 9 weeks unitl I missed a week, and then another and then another...   But I'm back on the game, and will probably try and backfill for at least Week 10.

I just put up a birdhouse yesterday, and saw a Chickadee going in earlier....  But then this pair of Bluebirds were checking it out for a bit...   After they left, I opened it up, and it looks like the Chickadee has started a nest.  So it seems "ya snooze ya lose".  Or will the Bluebirds displace the Chickadee?  Drama, drama...

One Album A Day - 012

  One Album A Day - 012

 As I noted before, I've been working through the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, as presented though the 1001 album generator web site.  My goal is to present a week (or so) of reviews, once every week (or so).  

So here's the next few albums I listened to:

# - Year - Album - Artist - Rating - Global

100 - 1973 - Space Ritual - Hawkwind - 2 - 2.71
101 - 1989 - Disintegration - The Cure - 3 - 3.8
102 - 2012 - Channel Orange - Frank Ocean - 2 - 3.37
103 - 1982 - The Message - Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - 3 3.28
104 - 1974 - Bad Company - Bad Company - 4 - 3.27
105 - 1968 - The White Album - Beatles - 4 - 4.18
106 - 1973 - Head Hunters - Herbie Hancock - 5 - 3.57
107 - 2000 - Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams  - 3 - 3.02
108 - 2000 - Chore of Enchantment - Giant Sand - 2 - 2.71
109 - 1995 - Garbage - Garbage - 4 - 3.35
110 - 2000 - The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem - 1 - 3.53
111 - 1980 - Kilimanjaro - The Teardrop Explodes - 3 - 2.93
112 - 1997 - Tellin’ Stories - The Charlatans - 4 - 2.96

Here's my summary page.

And this posting's Reviews:

112 - Tellin’ Stories - The Charlatans - 4

Yet another Brit-pop album... I does seem like there's a lot of late 20th century UK bands (that I've never heard of) on this project. Whatever.

Looking at Wikipedia, it seems these guys' claim to fame is touring in support of Oasis. Although this album did hit #1 in UK (but apparently did not chart in US).

Whatever. This is my favorite (so far) of these, it doesn't sound like all the others. Good solid rock feel, the vocals aren't strained, the bass sounds good. The songs are pretty upbeat and catchy. I'll be listening to this again, I was thinking high 3, maybe round to 4. But the more I listened, the more I dug it. Easy 4

111 - Kilimanjaro - The Teardrop Explodes - 3

Generic 1980 Brit-pop. I guess it is pleasant.... enough. Really, it's fine... really. I mean, I feel like I ought to like this. And I don't dislike it. But it is nothing especially special.

I've never heard of The Teardrop Explodes, and I was still pretty musically savvy in 1980. I was doing the whole "college radio" thing back then, they clearly didn't make any splash in the US.

Anyway, easy 3.

110 - The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem - 1

Well, at least it's clear right off with what's in store, with the 25 second "announcement". Coarse and profane, misogynous, homophobic, violent, that's this album. In the song Marshall Mathers, he raps "I think I was put here to annoy the world".. well A for effort, if not execution. I'm not impressed, I'm not outraged either. It just seems so very trite. And long, at over 70 minutes.

That said, the song "Stan" has a pretty cool sound / groove. But the lyrics follow the ramblings of a pathetic fan who kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend because Eminem didn't respond to fan letters fast enough. Cheerful, huh?

Most of the grooves are tolerable, better than a lot of the Hip Hop I've been fed through this project. But Hip Hop is supposedly about the lyrics, and the lyrics here are pretty much intolerable.

Note: Spotify only has 17 of the 19 songs from this album, but you know, I've had enough and won't dig up those other.

I was going to give this a 2 since some of the grooves are decent, but sheesh. The crap messaging knocks it down to 1/5. I have to wonder about what kind of person love this stuff.

109 - Garbage - Garbage - 4

Somebody was listening to a lot of Nirvana.... At least that was my first thought when I put this on. But it moves in different directions as we go along, and even that first song works.

My expectations were pretty low going in, another mid 90's album from a band I've never heard of. With a name like "Garbage". But I'm pleasantly surprised. This is rather good. Actually, quite good. Some of it it really good! The music is mostly upbeat, solid alt-rock. Lots of good bass, which is a big thing to me. The lyrics are a little angst-y, but not excessive. Nothing too complicated. Really good, clean sound.

Really, this is the kind of thing I came to this project for. I'll need to listen to this a few more times. 4/5

108 - Chore of Enchantment - Giant Sand - 2

Well... meh? This album didn't hook me. It didn't delight me. Nor did it offend me. Or challenge me. I didn't hate it, or like it. There must be some reason it is on the list, some reason why I "must" to listen to it before I die. But I can't discern it.

The vocalist generally sounds like he's half asleep. The playing is competent, but laid back. clean and clear, but nothing memorable. At best it hints at Velvet Underground, but without the edge, the spirit, the ... well the danger. Maybe Neil Young's "Tonight's The Night" without the raw emotion and angst.

My first thought was to give this a 3, because it is certainly competent. But it creates no real emotional response at all. The Allmusic review sums it up nicely: "Many of the songs tend to drift by without grabbing hold". And a reviewer at Sputnik Music said: "There’s just enough meat to keep the listener interested throughout the sixty minutes of Chore of Enchantment." No, there's not enough meat. Boring is a sin in music. That'll knock it down to a 2.

107 - Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams - 3

I'm not familiar with Ryan Adams, so I checked the reviews... it appears that Mr Adams is a reprehensible human being. Well, that's unfortunate. On the other hand, Rock Star and Reprehensible Human Being go together more often than I'd like to think. I'm not sure starts were better in my youth, but the lack of 24 hr news cycle and no social media provided a level of insulation, and maybe allowed a level of willful ignorance on fans' behalf.

Anyway, what about the music? I was pleased that this album from the year 2000 is not all synths, autotune and drum boxes, with no hint of rap or hip hop. The opening song has a rollicking feel, somewhat reminiscent of Dylan's "From A Buick 6". That's a nice start, but also the high point. It doesn't drop off much, at least. This is a pretty relaxed feeling album, with a very "natural" feel. Acoustic guitar, harmonica, a touch of banjo. Un-affected vocals. Very "real". Especially compared to other albums from 2000, like Britney Spears, Eminem, NSYNC.

Really, this is the type of sound that I generally like, and that's good. But it's just not especially memorable. Still, a lot better than I expected. Might've been pushing towards a 3.5, but gotta dock a bit for the personal "problems".

3/5

106 - Head Hunters - Herbie Hancock - 5

Proving that Funky can be Fun, Head Hunters is one of the great Jazz albums ever. Peaking at #13 on the Billboard 200 (in 1974), it had great crossover success, and is one of the top selling jazz albums of all time. Wikipedia says it was “Among the defining moments of the [then] emerging jazz fusion and jazz-funk movements…” That pretty well sums it up.

I own this album, am quite familiar with it. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone interested in classic Jazz, fusion or funk

It is an easy 4.5/5, in this case I’ll round up because of its significance.

5

105 - The White Album - Beatles - 4

The Beatles are probably the most important band in 75 years. Read the biography of almost any rock musician from the late 60’s through the early 80s and you’ll find out they were inspired to take up music by the Beatles. The Beatles released a dozen albums in just over 7 years in the UK, and 11 of them reached #1. Yellow Submarine “only” made it to #3. This was repackaged into 17 US releases, 14 of which hit #1 (with the other 3x hitting #2). They are iconic, they are pervasive. In the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, anybody who listened to music knew Beatles songs, even if they didn’t realize they were Beatles songs.

So, what about The White Album? This is the 9th UK release, coming on the heels of the perfect trio of “Rubber Soul”, “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper…”. The bar couldn’t be set higher. And this album comes close to meeting expectations, but falls a little short. A double album, with 30 songs clocking in at over 90 minutes. It’s certainly ambitious. And there’s no shortage of brilliant music. From harder songs like “Helter Skelter” and “Back in the USSR”, to some of the prettiest songs they did, like “Blackbird” and “I Will”. And everything in between. And there-in lies the problem.

This album is all over the place, and sometimes seem like the members are lurching 4 different directions from song to song. I’ve seen it referred to as having a “fragmentary style”. Strains within the band are well documented, and reportedly, only 14 of the 30 songs feature all four members performing. Revolution 9 brings Yoko Ono into the process, and should never have seen the light of day. In retrospect, this album showed that the Beatles were not going to last much longer.

BUT (and a big but) it all works out and the wealth of high-spots outweigh the weak spots. I wish it were more cohesive, I wish that it were more concise. I wish that “Revolution 9” had been discarded. I wish I could go 4.5, but that’s not an option. And I can’t give 5 stars to an album that devotes 8+ minutes to Revolution 9.

So 4/5 it is.

104 - Bad Company - Bad Company - 4

Bad Company hit the scene in the summer of 1974. The summer before I started high school, a fine time. And the album made a huge splash, topping the Billboard album charts and selling 5x Platinum. And I had one of those 5 million sold, mine was on 8 track tape. Yes, this was the sound of that particular slice of the 70’s. It was all over the radio, and one of my heavy-rotation albums back then. annd still a staple of and almost every song from the album was a staple of Classic Rock today. And I still listen to it occasionally 50 years later.

That said, it’s not really “compelling”…. It’s not deep and meaningful. One of my favorites, but never my actual favorite. Just good, solid, mid-70s rock. It’s a notable coincidence that the first single (Can’t Get Enough) was on the charts at the same time as the Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only Rock And Roll (But I Like It)”. And sometimes that’s enough.

Bad Company would go on to release 4 more successful albums in the 70’s, but none were as good (or as successful) as this debut.

Solid 4.5/5, but rounds down to 4

103 - The Message - Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - 3

Well, I saw this was another Hip Hop album, and my expectation were really low. But it’s also from 1982, so maybe there’s hope. I’ve heard of grandmaster flash, but didn’t have any associations.Fortunately, my expectations were misplaced.

The first song “She’s Fresh” really nails the funk, pegs the scale.

“Its Nasty” rips off (sorry, samples) the riff from Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love”, but build it into a better song.

“Scorpio” has a good groove, but I don’t dig the mechanical vocal effects…. Guess that was cutting edge in 1982 (yes I was there).

I’m not a huge fan of “It’s a Shame”, more beat box and scratching standard 80’s rap, not much groove, but harmless.

“Dreaming’” is an homage to Stevie Wonder, complete with a spoken dedication, and interlude. Frankly the “dreamin ‘bout you Stevie” stuff is kind of creepy.

“You Are” continues in the same vein as Dreamin’, sort of standard soulful slow dance song, with lots of synth strings. Nice piano, though. There’s a spoken part that reveals the “You” is Jesus Christ, which comes off as discordant in the context of what sounds like a seduction song.

“The Message” - oh yeah, I’ve heard this. A little too heavy on the programmed beat, and certainly more rap than funk. But it’s got some funky in there, and is an indication where the style can excel.

Overall? Not bad. Several pretty good songs, and several that were ok. “Dreamin’” and “You Are” are almost jarringly out of place, and pretty forgettable. That said I can see why this was popular.

very solid 3/5

102 - Channel Orange - Frank Ocean - 2

I’ve listened to more Hip Hop in the 100+ days of this project, than in the whole of my life previously. And I’m still not a fan.

This is not really bad, though. The soul aspect helps along. And the beats are more shuffling than pounding. But still too much fixed beat, too much mostly spoken vocals, not enough melody. Too much auto tune (anything more than none is too much). But there is some sense of these being actual songs, and that’s good.

I was feeling generous, was going to give a three, but the longer it went, the more I lost interest. I found myself checking “how much more” when it was just past 1/2 through… too often. By the time I was about 75% through, I was down to a 2. Sorry, just too much.

2/5

101 - Disintegration - The Cure - 3

I’ve never listened to the Cure (before this). My impression is based on their reputation as providing “introspective gothic rock” for this kids who dressed all in black and moaned about hating life. I watched their induction ceremony to the rock and roll hall of fame, which pretty much reinforced that. So let’s actually listen to an album and see what we think:

The sound is pretty lush, a “big room” feel. Lots of synth. The pacing is generally sluggish, the vocals are sort of strained, a tormented soul calling out. Modern English meets Dumptruck. Wikipedia called the band’s sound “dark and tormented”, and I guess that fits. But this album isn’t that harsh, and it rather works. Not the kind of thing that’ll end up in my collection, but I can certainly respect it. The hit Lovesong is pretty good, pulls the elements together nicely. A bit faster, a bit less mopey, the keyboards are brighter, and an accessible 3:29. A nice change from most of the album’s 5-9 minute songs.

Now this mix could be really irritating, but like many releases in the early days of CDs, it is excessively long, clocking over 70 minutes.

Overall, I’ll give this a 3/5, I’d go 3.5 if I could.

100 - Space Ritual - Hawkwind - 2

I would probably like this if I used or had ever used, hallucinogens. But I don't / didn't. I had some friends in college (late 70's) who had some Hawkwind, and they were into a lot of the harder "mind stimulants". That must be the key. Don't get me wrong, I like prog music: yes, ELP, Genesis... even Triumvirat, Crack The Sky and Nektar. Pink Floyd, ya know. But this compares to Yes like Yes compares to ABBA... It is pretty far out there.

This is an early 70's live album, but the quality seems poor even by those standards. Space Ritual is very muddy sounding, and the vocals sound very far away. The squeaks and whistles and "space sounds" are right up front, though. On the other hand, maybe that's on purpose? Musically it's not horrible, but the jams don't really have any direction, and the weird sounds rather bug me. Looking at Wikipedia, I see that Lemmy was the bass player here, before going on to Motorhead. I'm not sure what that means, but it is an interesting factoid.

I don't hate this, but a cleaner sound, and a bit more concise presentation would help a lot. And some of it is pretty decent. But a lot more isn't decent. As it is, clocking in at almost 90 minutes, this just seems like wretched excess.

Sorry, this is a 2, I struggled to make it a little past 1/2 way through.

The echo which man desires to hear...

 "How delighted I shall be to ramble for a while through bushes, woods, under trees, through grass and around rocks.  No one can love the countryside as much as I do. For surely woods trees and rocks produce the echo which man desires to hear."  - Beethoven

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Crows Are Hard

 I've been trying to document birds, both in our backyard, and around. And that includes crows, who have been hanging around lately. And it has been a challenge trying to get a halfway decent photo. An all black bird... ALL black. A bird that spends most of the time high in the branches. And they're not exactly pretty birds, either...  Nor do they have a pleasant call.

Anyway, I managed a couple shots recently. Now I can get back to the cute colorful birds that are usually around.

Cardinal (Male)

 Cardinals are pretty plentiful, but that doesn't make them any less beautiful.

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Carolina Wren

 Carolina Wren, backyard bird....

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