Day 0863 - Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg & Wilco “Mermaid Avenue” (1998)

Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora was looking for someone to put music to a collection of her father’s unreleased lyrics.  After hearing Bragg playing at a Guthrie tribute concert, she contacted him about the project.  Bragg in turn contacted Wilco to help him with the songs and to arrange some themselves.

Bragg and Wilco have both already featured in this list, and the project ‘on paper’ interested me, so I was keen to check this out.

It exceeded my expectations, with a sound that brings to my mind Ween’s country moments.  Interesting lyrics backed with a mix of old timey Americana, and more modern alt-country and bouncy Beatles-esque melodic and arrangement sensibilities (“Another Man’s Done Gone” almost sounds like a McCartney-esque piano ballad).

There’s the rootin’ tootin’ opener “Walt Whitman’s Niece”, the intimate acoustic guitar and voice of “Ingrid Bergman” and “I Guess I Planted” has hints of Elvis Costello circa “My Aim is True”.

My favourite though is “Way Over Yonder in a Minor Key” which features backing vocals from Natalie Merchant and is frankly just a beautiful song.

Two more collections of songs would eventually be produced by Bragg and Wilco under the Mermaid Avenue name.

Day 0664 - Heaven or Las Vegas

So we enter the 1990s.  I expect I'll get through this decade a little quicker, as I'll possibly own a few more of these releases.   The 1960s and 1990s have always been prominent decades in my music collection for some reason.  I guess in the cyclical nature of music, the 90s were trying to revisit the psychedelia (though with a lot more distortion) of the 60s, with a lot of even the heavier bands citing the Beatles as an influence.  The fluidity of genres as displayed by the Beatles and even more straight-ahead acts like Zeppelin, the Stones and the Beach Boys was also drawn upon with aplomb.  

Anywhoo....



Cocteau Twins "Heaven or Las Vegas" (1990)

Really loved the last Cocteau Twins' album on the list "Treasures".   The dreamy, ethereal pop with stark desaturated album cover seemed to be the modus operandi for their first few albums.   With "Heaven or Vegas" they change things up.   From the bright, colourful neon album cover to the slightly more polished pop within.   The vocals are much clearer and more prominent than on previous releases.   The balance had definitely shifted more towards perky pop with propulsive bass.  Robin Guthrie's guitar continues to be a shimmering clean presence.

Guthrie was dealing with a heavy drug problem, on top of that, he and singer Elizabeth Fraser had their first child (the album was released on her first birthday) and they had had issues with their management.   Maybe the Vegas reference is hinting towards the more faded, jaded neon side of Vegas rather than the glitz and glamour.

Day 0535 - Treasure

Cocteau Twins "Treasure" (1984)

 
Another of those bands that I knew by name, but was left wondering what they sounded like.  The answer to that one it seems is: 'ethereal, shoegazer music, with sighing, crystal clear vocals, but which can occasionally switch to more propulsive energetic tunes".  Really good stuff.  I could see it having influenced a few 00s indie pop groups and maybe even some of the really early Smashing Pumpkins' dreamier material.

Really liked this one, and will keep an eye out for a copy.