In my occasional series I like to highlight a few pieces of music I’m enjoying and top of this list are two very contrasting albums from Kurt Vile and Jeff Goldblum, no really.
I’m definitely enjoying Jeff Goldblum’s new Capitol Studios jazz album with a collection of standards wonderfully reproduced in a live recording, the main attraction being Goldblum’s slightly eccentric piano playing style and interjections which suits the music perfectly. Highlights include ‘My Baby Just Cares for Me’ featuring the vocal of Haley Reinhart and Imelda May’s guest slot on ‘Straighten Up and Fly Right’. Finally, the album is MQA Studio quality which on the Moon 390 streaming pre-amplifier sounds as good as it can. But
As a huge War on Drugs addict, I always keep an ear open when Kurt Vile, their former lead guitarist, releases something and maybe belatedly I’m really getting into this album. I realise it is a bit Americana meets psychedelic folky and weird but it does amble along amiably and I’m not losing interest. Highlights include ‘Bassackwards’, a ten minute ramble and opening track ‘Loading Zones’, and ‘One Trick Ponies’. ‘Rollin with the Flow’ sums the mood up perfectly too.
Also getting a lot of ear time is the new Fleet Foxes collection of early recordings that are basically the first album and the Sun Giant EP it seems to me, as well as a few B sides. Annoying, the collection is not in the Masters collection despite the excellent Crack Up and wonderful Helplessness Blues being MQA’d. But definitely have a listen to this
Finally, I notice the Mumfords have a new album , I will enquire warily after the disaster that was Wilder Minds.