I believed the artist’s intention and had to hear more. This was a masterclass in songwriting-all of it, from the lyrical themes, intricate guitar, sexy sax solos, hard-hitting drums, dynamic energy levels … total composition. I was at attention: This wasn’t some viral video or one-hit wonder. When I first heard the title-track, it stopped me in my tracks. In the three-year vacuum that is 2019 up to now, it’s hard to place the order of things, like a circadian dissonance.ĭiscovering British songwriter Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under, however, was a distinct musical event. These days I have a difficult time keeping track of time.
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Must-hear tracks: “Evoe,” “Bartzabel,” “Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer,” “O Father O Satan O Sun!”
“Despite the challenges we face, and plagues we endure, we gather here tonight … in celebration … together we shall conquer all!” But it’s cool that, here, amidst the black-metal gluttony, he takes the time in two or three spots to articulate a message of positivity and solidarity to headbangers around the globe.
Frontman/songwriter/creative visionary Adam “Nergal” Darski-who’s known both for his fearlessly blasphemous themes and very public fights against censorship and heavy-handed sanctions in his native country-isn’t typically a man of many words between songs, preferring to let the immersive experience speak for itself. For those who missed the event, both the audio and Blu-ray footage were just released, and the execution is ripping, the pace unrelenting. There were no Covid vaccines yet, there were no concerts to go to, and we were all shut up at home, bored out of our minds and scared. It was a lifeline of sorts for metal fans the world over who were reeling from the most destabilizing and uncertain period of their lives. When Polish extreme-metal mainstays Behemoth broadcast this live event in December 2020, it wasn’t epic simply because the 19-song set was filmed from the apse of remote church ruins and augmented by incredible pyrotechnics, copious fog clouds, and killer lighting. Must-hear tracks: “Call Me a Fool” and “You and I.” (And note the Mississippi fife and drum band pattern that kicks in at 1:12.) You can listen to The Moon and Stars three ways: as flat-out, delightful entertainment, as soothing music for meditation, or as beautiful lullabies for adults. Overall, the album has a sense of kindness that, while that may sound like an abstract thing, is palpable. She also has a transcendentalist, folk-rooted style of guitar and banjo that’s perfect counterpoint to the modern production and the excellent, imaginative studio players who accompany her songs. Name another artist who sounds like her? I dare you! I also dare you to feel sad as her voice soars, as her tales of love and endurance and experience unspool. I love Valerie June, with her nursery-rhythm vocal phrasing, starry-eyed lyrics, and kaleidoscopic sound that nonetheless reveals the strong roots of her music in the American South. Valerie June The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers Must-hear tracks: “The World Can Be So Cold” and “Keep on Pushing” No wonder he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts this year. Cedric is a living link between the past and present of this music-its deepest roots and its brightest future. “Pretty Flowers” and a horde of other songs absolutely percolate. And his lessons as a drummer have come with him.
His sweet, sad, soulful anthem of the heart, “The World Can Be So Cold,” is a gem, so rich in emotional implications-amplified by his expressive singing-it can be unbearable on a hard day. Even better is his slice-of-life songwriting, which covers everything from the perils of being Black in America to the joys of love. He’s also become a terrific guitarist with an edgy style of fingerpicking that really underscores the North African roots of this music. Burnside’s grandson, who I’ve known since he started touring with his “Big Daddy” at age 14, has become the leading proponent of North Mississippi blues. Okay, so I’ve tipped my hand with the album above, but R.L.
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