Maple, Misty

Ms Misty Maple
Solving murders with Barbie
Ken not included

Foggy, Beach

The crashing of waves
On a salty shingle shore
Muffled by the fog

The Age Of The Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets

I’m a big fan of the Arctic Monkeys - not really surprising, as they’re from just up the road from where I live in Sheffield, and their raucous rock certainly caught the zeitgeist in the early years of this century. It was something of a surprise (for some fans at least) when frontman Alex Turner released this side project channeling the 60s vibe of Scott Walker.

It opens with a glorious galloping track that could be a soundtrack to an arty spaghetti western, quickly followed by more effortlessly cool songs in a nouvelle vague style with lush string arrangements. This is a fantastic album, and pointed the way to how the Arctic Monkeys sound would evolve on their 2018 Tranquility Base Hotel.

Boff-tastic!

Whisper, Kite

Red kite in blue sky
Westerly wind whispering
Of days passing by

Mama’s Gun by Erykah Badu

This album was an unexpected joy, with lots of nice touches in the music and lyrics. Erykah Badu has an expressive voice, reminding me of Lauren Hill, which brings this selection of honest and confessional songs to life. I particularly enjoyed “Cleva” which is about valuing intelligence over physical attractiveness and features the great Roy Ayers on vibraphone giving a jazzy feel.

Another highlight was “Green Eyes” which starts by sounding like a 1920s recording and gradually evolves as the song progresses. This could have been a little bit gimmicky, but it works wonderfully in the context of the song.

Joyful from start to finish!

Withered

Dark nights drawing in
Last fruits withered on the vine
Storm clouds gathering

Aladdin Sane by David Bowie

Ask anyone to draw a sketch of David Bowie and it’s a fair bet that they will include the instantly recognisable lightning bolt image from this album cover - even the default apple emoji for a rock star is based on this. However, it is less well known that this image refers to Bowie’s view of his character as a split personality as well as the schizophrenia that his half brother Terry lived with.

This was the last album recorded with the Spiders from Mars backing band, and their sound was considerably augmented by the addition of virtuoso pianist Mike Garson whose styles range from rock n roll, doo-wop, and classical to experimental free jazz, sometimes in the same song. Mick Ronson is also on top form on guitar on this album as well as Trevor Bolder on bass and Woody Woodmansey on drums.

Highlights include the title track, a sinuous torch song of a piece, a stomping cover of Let’s Spend The Night Together (presumably to help out a struggling young rock band that he was friends with), The Jean Genie and the Brechtian classic Time (with *that* line guaranteed to make you spit your tea out on first hearing).

Wanking-on-the-floor-tastic!