Tuesday, February 1, 2022

• Okkyung Lee, Na-Reul
• Jemeel Moondoc, The Zookeeper’s House
• Tarot or Aorta - Memories of a PRE Festival (feat. Tom Smith)
• Sightings, Absolutes
• Shellac, The Futurist
• Shellac, Dude Incredible
• Shellac, 1000 Hurts
• MX-80 Sound, Crowd Control
• MX-80 Sound, Out of the Tunnel
• The Verlaines, Some Disenchanted Evening
• Morrissey, Bona Drag
• Legends of Old-Time Music: Fifty Years of County Records (disc 1)

The most devastating song on Some Disenchanted Evening is “Anniversary”, and I thought so even before I’d paid much attention to the words, but then oh my god, listen to the words:

She said, “Sunshine will haunt you
And blue sky will taunt you
And beauty will court you with lies.”
 
She said, “Autumn will bore you
And spring time will ignore you
And the cold wind will warm you at night.”
 
And she asked me what kind of creature was I
That I harboured no rain in my eyes
 
Tell me why
Your cheeks are drier than mine
Are you too frightened to cry?
 
She said, “Laughter will hurt you
And children will disturb you
And dirges will serve you with light.”
 
And she said, “By the time
That you open your eyes
There will not be a shoulder in sight.”

And then listen to the music again, and how Graeme Downes’ voice can barely reach the high notes he wrote for himself, and the effect that creates.