I’ve pulled this album out, the only one I have by this American psychedelic pop “band” called Of Montreal, which is really the creative brainchild of one Kevin Barnes, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter,visual artist, and provocateur. There is no identifyinginformation on the album cover, on the spine, or on the disc labels. Not even the linerContinue reading “#820: O is for Of Montreal”
Category Archives: Poetry
#819: N is for Nyro, Laura
Another mysterious album in the collection gifted to me by my artist and musician friend Curtis.Here’s a songwriter that I would have heard about, whose name I would have recognized as a person often cited as a significant figure, whosesongs I had heard performed by otherartists, but whose records had completely escaped me. It’s 1969.Continue reading “#819: N is for Nyro, Laura”
#818: N is for Numan, Gary
Telekon, Gary Numan’s fourth album, the second album post Tubeway Army, begins with the most crushing slow rock synth groove of “This Wreckage” and, in that early, nasal, almost robotic, most distinctive voice, he sings the first lyric: “And what if God’s dead?” This was heady stuff for a 16 year old me, who hadContinue reading “#818: N is for Numan, Gary”
#817: N is for Nilsson, Harry
Before I became educatedabout this guy, if you would havetold me that “Coconut” (you know, put the lime in the____ and call mein the morning), “Everybody’s Talking”(at me, and I don’t hear a word they’resaying), and (I can’t live, if living is “Without You” were all songs written by the same guy, I would haveContinue reading “#817: N is for Nilsson, Harry”
#816: N is for The New Pornographers
They are one of only a few artists or bandsthat jump-started their career during the 21st century whose entire catalog has found its way into my CD and vinyl collection. Despite their most unfortunate band name, these Canadians have made ten studio albums over the last 26 years, all of which are tremendously good. AContinue reading “#816: N is for The New Pornographers”
#815: N is for Newman, Randy
My first introduction to Randy Newman, as a 13 year old boy of diminutive stature,was “Short People,” and then, probably decades later, it was “You Got A Friend in Me,” the soundtrack tune for the Toy Story film. And then, sometime afterthat, it came to my attention that RandyNewman was a significant figure, not justContinue reading “#815: N is for Newman, Randy”
#814: Walking to Breakfast with Mark
for Mark Solomon He had written a note to a friend,inviting her to tonight’s reading on the occasion of being back after a two-year absence from this annual conferenceof alumni from the Warren WilsonMFA Program for Writers. He wrote to her about how he felt to be reunited with his fellow“Wallies.” Mark graduatedfrom the programContinue reading “#814: Walking to Breakfast with Mark”
#813: M is Still for The Mountain Goats (20, 21, 22, 23, 25)
Prologue The last five albums in my collection of records by The Mountain Goats bringsme to the end of the letter M and a littlepast the half way point of my entire storeof vinyl LPs, but it brings me also to a place of turntable crisis. Everything sounds likeshit. I can’t get that stylus cleanContinue reading “#813: M is Still for The Mountain Goats (20, 21, 22, 23, 25)”
#812: M is for The Mountain Goats (15, 17, 19)
The next three albums in my MountainGoats collection, consecutively released, serve as a tidy little trilogy. Unrelated to each other, but I’m guessing each deeply personal to the lyricist, we have three concept albums in a row, albums that aren’t narrative necessarily, but all revolvequite specifically and rigorously arounda single subject matter. Not because ofthisContinue reading “#812: M is for The Mountain Goats (15, 17, 19)”
#811: M is for The Mountain Goats (02, 05, 12)
Prologue Rivaled only by XTC, The Flaming Lips and David Bowie, a tie with the formertwo artists and lagging a full mittful of albums behind the latter, I have twelve recordsby The Mountain Goats in the vinyl collection. Like a lot of bands and musicians that have captured my music heart, I was late to The Mountain Goats party. I arrived,Continue reading “#811: M is for The Mountain Goats (02, 05, 12)”
michael jarmer 