Let's not go there...

With all the year stuff I mean. This is a virus free zone, and I'm happy in my little bubble (damn nearly mentioned it there)...

The last couple of weeks of the year were stupid busy for work, so I've not done a proper end of year review, again. I think I gave the same excuse last year. Anyway I've done plenty of rounding up elsewhere amongst other things I can point you at for satisfying new year reading. 

 First up my review of the Americana year over at AUK. You can read that here. I kept up the fire on the streaming services, and talked about Bandcamp, again. Also some great albums. Jack Henderson's was fab, but was beaten by a whisker to Americana album of year by Emma Swift's 'Blonde on the Tracks'. You can read the whole team's choices here. Alec Bowman wrote a piece explaining all the stuff I've been going on about from the artist's point of view for AUK as well. Read it here and turn your back on Spotify in 2021. 

Over at Duggystone Radio I talked about December, normally a time for stocking filler compilations, which has turned in some cracking music this year. You can read my views on McCartney, Swift, Kim Edgar and Magic Dance, the latter two I've championed before and have turned in the best albums of their careers so far.

The one album that didn't get a mention in all this that has been my most played since its release is Blue Note Reimagined. London Jazz News summed it up as well as I could. It also provides pointers to the original versions. The dominance of Wayne Shorter is interesting with 5 of his tunes covered. Following my February "Giving Snobbery the Byrd" piece, the 70s get a good look in as well, although I'm not sure I can take the credit there...

So, we're still here, and it has been the busiest year yet at 160gigblog. a third more posts than 2019, which probably means I had nothing else to do. If you have been thanks for reading, and those figures are up as well, and here's looking forward to whatever 2021 has to offer.

Over The Rhine - again!

Over at Americana UK, I've made my case for Over The Rhine being the best band in the world. This is not open to negotiation.

Over The Rhine - Streaming Christmas concert December 2020

Over the Rhine have made a tradition of a Christmas tour and particularly hometown concerts at various venues in Ohio, often the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati. Due to the usual reason in 2020, this isn't happening so they have recorded a show that is available to buy and stream. The good news is that those of us in the wider world get invited this time. The link is below and you really should take it up if you can. Being of a cash strapped nature I ended up watching the free stream last Sunday. 

Filmed at their home the set, caught light on the third song, 'Born', a highlight of any show they play it at. The best songs as ever were the ones with the most space, Linford at the piano and Karin just singing. 'All I Ever Get for Christmas is Blue' was a highlight of this first part of the set. 'Latter Days' is just one of the best songs of the last 25 years. but this time out there was a difference, the words to 'Silent Night' fitted perfectly into the end of 'Latter Days'. Just great. They finished this segment of the show with 'Bothered', the ideal words for the end of 2020.

They moved to the barn that they have been converting into an arts and performance space for the last few years for the second half of the show. Opening with 'If We Make It Through December' which featured on the 'Blood Oranges In the Snow' album, one of three that I prefer to see as Winter rather than Christmas albums. There was far more between song talk from Linford that is one of the features of an Over The Rhine concert in this section of the show, which was nice as early on they had gone straight from one song to the next. 

Back to the house for the last two Christmas songs. One of the aspects of the band's work that doesn't get enough praise is Linford's piano playing. It really is a highlight for me, and the three solo piano albums he has already out there should be on the shopping list for anyone who likes modern piano (although there is some guitar as well) music, or indeed Chopin. Good to hear on their Facebook recently that his solo album that formed part of a crowd funder a few years ago was likely to appear in February.

Mixing the Christmas songs with some old favourites, at least some of mine, made for a show that covered a lot of ground, and should hopefully attract the casual listener into the fan community. Over the Rhine are a band who inspire devotion from those who find them. If you haven't yet then you should and this concert could be the way. And it was good to see this picture. Nothing wrong with roping in the pets to promote your work...

The show is available for multiple streams at $50.00 at the link here. I supported them through the Paypal link given on the stream, and bought a couple of downloads in their store. If only postage was not so pricey from the US. Still a reason (if one was needed) to go to the next British shows, to buy the CDs I didn't get last time. 

Over The Rhine store

Set List

Broken Angels

Let It Fall

Born

All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue

Anything At All

Latter Days/Silent Night

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Amelia’s Last

Bothered

If We Make It Through December

We’re Gonna Pull Through Sacred Ground

First Snowfall

All I Need Is Everything

The Christmas Song

May God Love You

Caulbearers - 'Over Comes a Cloud' single review

 
Opening on Dan Mitchell’s sinister bass line, Caulbearer’s new single ‘Over Comes A Cloud’ is their best yet. They have kept the fractured funk style of previous release ‘Hollow Bones’ and added a dissonant guitar that reflects the unsettling themes of the words. Formed from reflections on a trip to Pompeii, Mahoney draws comparisons from the fate of that city and Rome with the fall of our unworthy icons, and statues and the challenges of making peace with our past.

Still present are Caulbearer’s signature Cellos but the aspect of ‘Over Comes A Cloud’ that steps it ahead of the previous work are Will Lenton’s Saxophone lines. Part Roland Kirk, and part Sons of Kemet it aligns the song with the new UK Jazz scene and makes it as at home on Jazz FM as Radio X. The uplifting closing section matches Lenton’s horns with the affirmation that “We'll make order from the chaos, that surrounds us”. Backing Mahoney’s vocals is Ruth Blake, a Joni Mitchell influenced singer songwriter, whose own music you should be making a home for as well.

With so much new music clamouring for attention now Caulbearers deserve a place in your heart because like iWitness reviewed here earlier this year they are thinking about the world and offering optimism where others are just ranting. As Mahoney says in the press release that comes with the single “Can we heed the warning signs, the clouds gathering, and come together to face these challenges, which requires honesty to look at the realities and histories of our cultures?”

If a cloud has come over the world of late one of the rays of sunshine peeking through is Caulbearers new work. Buy it at Bandcamp, where there is also a ridiculously cheap offer on their whole discography. While you’re there check out Ruth Blake’s solo albums as well.