Welcome to the liner notes for the first ever Madison Tavern Project Music Sampler. The loose theme for this sampler was music that is new to you in the past year that is mellow, though mid-tempo selections were also explicitly allowed.
SECTION 1
Haxprocess – Opeth – Heritage
Opeth got on my radar due to my obsession with Steven Wilson and perception that anything he touches turns gold. Initially, their Swedish Dark Metal roots and associated growling were a turn off so I didn’t go there. Wilson must have seen something there though since he started getting involved with the band and helped to transform them into the modern progressive rock band they are today. Haxprocess is one of my favorite songs from an almost perfect album, which was their first to leave their Dark Metal roots completely behind them.
Opeth would not exists without their leader, Mikael Åkerfeldt. Similar to his peers Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp, he is the visionary who guides the music, with band members who change over time to accommodate their vision. Åkerfeldt is also responsible for both lead vocals and guitar. This includes the bizarre growling vocals of past Opeth Albums, which has been replaced on Heritage by his pitch perfect and beautiful vocals that only occasionally surfaced in past efforts.
My appreciation of the talent, artistry, and great songs on Heritage has encouraged me to explore some of Opeth’s earlier albums like Blackwater Park. I can now see how Steven Wilson was attracted to this band. They have complex, evolving, and interesting song structures that pack an emotional punch. Worth a listen if you can get past the interspersed growls, which is a vocal technique that has more to it than you would think and can sound pretty cool and sort of psychedelic in small doses. You find yourself wondering how he does it.
Haxprocess provides for a good showcase of Åkerfeldt’s excellent guitar, vocal, and song composition talents.
Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
After working together for several years with Steven Wilson as producer of multiple Opeth albums, Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt finally decided to collaborate on an album together. Given past efforts of Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield, and more recent solo stuff) and Åkerfeldt (Opeth), it was difficult to predict what the result would be of their collaboration. Storm Corrosion was a pleasant surprise. It emphasizes their dark but sublime atmospheric sides. Steve Wilson said that he wanted to highlight what he called Åkerfeldt’s “lonely guitar” sound. Wilson does most of the singing on the album. A great album end-to-end but I thought this song provided the best sample of the overall mood.
Other recommended records of Wilson and Åkerfeldt:
Opeth got on my radar due to my obsession with Steven Wilson and perception that anything he touches turns gold. Initially, their Swedish Dark Metal roots and associated growling were a turn off so I didn’t go there. Wilson must have seen something there though since he started getting involved with the band and helped to transform them into the modern progressive rock band they are today. Haxprocess is one of my favorite songs from an almost perfect album, which was their first to leave their Dark Metal roots completely behind them.
Opeth would not exists without their leader, Mikael Åkerfeldt. Similar to his peers Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp, he is the visionary who guides the music, with band members who change over time to accommodate their vision. Åkerfeldt is also responsible for both lead vocals and guitar. This includes the bizarre growling vocals of past Opeth Albums, which has been replaced on Heritage by his pitch perfect and beautiful vocals that only occasionally surfaced in past efforts.
My appreciation of the talent, artistry, and great songs on Heritage has encouraged me to explore some of Opeth’s earlier albums like Blackwater Park. I can now see how Steven Wilson was attracted to this band. They have complex, evolving, and interesting song structures that pack an emotional punch. Worth a listen if you can get past the interspersed growls, which is a vocal technique that has more to it than you would think and can sound pretty cool and sort of psychedelic in small doses. You find yourself wondering how he does it.
Haxprocess provides for a good showcase of Åkerfeldt’s excellent guitar, vocal, and song composition talents.
Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
After working together for several years with Steven Wilson as producer of multiple Opeth albums, Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt finally decided to collaborate on an album together. Given past efforts of Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield, and more recent solo stuff) and Åkerfeldt (Opeth), it was difficult to predict what the result would be of their collaboration. Storm Corrosion was a pleasant surprise. It emphasizes their dark but sublime atmospheric sides. Steve Wilson said that he wanted to highlight what he called Åkerfeldt’s “lonely guitar” sound. Wilson does most of the singing on the album. A great album end-to-end but I thought this song provided the best sample of the overall mood.
Other recommended records of Wilson and Åkerfeldt:
- Porcupine Tree – In Absentia, Fear of a Blank Planet, Dead Wing
- Steven Wilson – Insurgentes, Grace for Drowning, The Raven that Refused to Sing
- Opeth - Pale Communion
Editor's Note: I found this video of Steve Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt talking about modern Prog Rock that I thought was interesting: Storm Corrosion - Song Structure
I’ve I Had a Heart – Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Fever Ray is the solo work of Karin Dreijer Andersson from the Swedish band The Knife. The Knife is composed of Dreijer Andersson and her brother Olof Dreijer and their music is driven by 80’s synths, electronic, arpeggio, trance, etc., you get the point. Good stuff overall but somewhat limited and tiresome after extended listening. Although Fever Ray continues the heavy use of synths, the sound is more organic and includes greater use of drums and bass. Dreijer Andersson usually disguise her beautiful voice as some sort of androgynous computer, much like she does in The Knife, but it does have the effect of really highlighting her natural voice when she decides to bring that to play. The entire album is worth a listen and it grows on you over time.
What Else is There? – Royksopp - The Understanding
Staying with the northern Europe theme, Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic band. Again, a heavy use of synths but they go to many different places with their sound. From disco, electro pop, to 70’s Tangerine Dream. This song is my favorite song from the band and I think it’s one of the best pop songs I’ve heard in years. The guest artist on vocals is Karin Dreijer Andersson from The Knife and Fever Ray and I can’t get enough of her beautiful, complex and interesting voice. There’s also a great, crunchy, electro beat on this song
Other recommended records Röyksopp and The Knife:
I’ve I Had a Heart – Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Fever Ray is the solo work of Karin Dreijer Andersson from the Swedish band The Knife. The Knife is composed of Dreijer Andersson and her brother Olof Dreijer and their music is driven by 80’s synths, electronic, arpeggio, trance, etc., you get the point. Good stuff overall but somewhat limited and tiresome after extended listening. Although Fever Ray continues the heavy use of synths, the sound is more organic and includes greater use of drums and bass. Dreijer Andersson usually disguise her beautiful voice as some sort of androgynous computer, much like she does in The Knife, but it does have the effect of really highlighting her natural voice when she decides to bring that to play. The entire album is worth a listen and it grows on you over time.
What Else is There? – Royksopp - The Understanding
Staying with the northern Europe theme, Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic band. Again, a heavy use of synths but they go to many different places with their sound. From disco, electro pop, to 70’s Tangerine Dream. This song is my favorite song from the band and I think it’s one of the best pop songs I’ve heard in years. The guest artist on vocals is Karin Dreijer Andersson from The Knife and Fever Ray and I can’t get enough of her beautiful, complex and interesting voice. There’s also a great, crunchy, electro beat on this song
Other recommended records Röyksopp and The Knife:
- Röyksopp – Melody AM
- The Knife – Silent Shout (highlight: Marble House)
SECTION 2
St Roch's Blues – Hurray for the Riff Raff
Levon's Dream – Hurray for the Riff Raff
Hurray for the Riff Raff's 2014 album Small Town Heroes is one of my favorites in a long time, so I couldn’t choose just one song. It’s one of those albums that, for me at least, just unfolds the more you listen to it, and you keep discovering the greatness of songs that you didn’t notice the week before. The back story on Alynda Lee Segarra is fascinating, adding to the allure.
I chose these two because they are the most ethereal songs on the album. There is a nice little video of St Roch’s blues on YouTube that reveals in passing that St Roch is the Parton Saint of Miraculous Cures, which seems fitting for this band of misfits.
I was first drawn to Levon’s Dream by the shimmering crescendo at the end and the obvious reference to Levon Helm. At first blush it just seems like an honest expression of grief at Levon’s death, but they lyrics are more personal than that.
Hang On To Your Ego – The Beach Boys
I've finally listened to Pet Sounds enough that I'm really starting to appreciate it. I think its difficult to listen to the the Beach Boys with fresh ears and not be biased by the nostalgia act that they became. However I think that if you can get past that their music is really great.
Levon's Dream – Hurray for the Riff Raff
Hurray for the Riff Raff's 2014 album Small Town Heroes is one of my favorites in a long time, so I couldn’t choose just one song. It’s one of those albums that, for me at least, just unfolds the more you listen to it, and you keep discovering the greatness of songs that you didn’t notice the week before. The back story on Alynda Lee Segarra is fascinating, adding to the allure.
I chose these two because they are the most ethereal songs on the album. There is a nice little video of St Roch’s blues on YouTube that reveals in passing that St Roch is the Parton Saint of Miraculous Cures, which seems fitting for this band of misfits.
I was first drawn to Levon’s Dream by the shimmering crescendo at the end and the obvious reference to Levon Helm. At first blush it just seems like an honest expression of grief at Levon’s death, but they lyrics are more personal than that.
Hang On To Your Ego – The Beach Boys
I've finally listened to Pet Sounds enough that I'm really starting to appreciate it. I think its difficult to listen to the the Beach Boys with fresh ears and not be biased by the nostalgia act that they became. However I think that if you can get past that their music is really great.
This is a bonus track on the re-issue I got used at Strictly Discs. It's an alternate version of "I Know These an Answer" and I think it's superior. The story is that this was the original version of the song, but Mike Love thought it was about LSD and made Brian Wilson change the lyrics. I really love the instrumentation on this song, in particular the timpani drum.
Up With People – Lambchop
This is my wildcard. This is one of my favorite songs that I've discovered on an Uncut sampler CD. I had not listened to is in a while but it was referenced in the last Uncut and that got it stuck in my head. Its sublime in my opinion.
The lyrics are total nonsense, but I love the way this one is delivered:
We are doing
And we are screwing
Up our lives today
San Francisco – Foxygen
I dig that California sound. I like the way this band seems to be constantly referencing classic rock. It gives me hope that some people still get it. I discovered these guys when my old friend Kevin (who coincidentally lives in San Francisco) posted the video for No Destruction on Facebook. I instantly loved that song.
SECTION 3
We are doing
And we are screwing
Up our lives today
San Francisco – Foxygen
I dig that California sound. I like the way this band seems to be constantly referencing classic rock. It gives me hope that some people still get it. I discovered these guys when my old friend Kevin (who coincidentally lives in San Francisco) posted the video for No Destruction on Facebook. I instantly loved that song.
SECTION 3
The Point of It – Yo La Tengo
In 2013, after playing together for nearly thirty years, Yo La Tengo’s husband and wife duo of Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley produced this poignant, evocative song about growing old with someone. An honest portrayal of the fear we all have of aging and death, the song also speaks about finding comfort in togetherness, love, and the memories we’ll leave behind. Hearing this song played live last year, among a throng of other forty- and fifty-something’s at the Barrymore, you could hear a pin drop.
My Only Swerving – El Ten Eleven
From their self-titled 2004 album, this song evokes coming home on a cold winter night, kicking the snow off, starting a fire in the fireplace, pouring a glass of wine or whiskey, putting on a mix of mellow tunes, relaxing with the family, and eventually dozing off listening to the crackling from the fireplace. The perfect Friday night in the dead of winter.
My Only Swerving – El Ten Eleven
From their self-titled 2004 album, this song evokes coming home on a cold winter night, kicking the snow off, starting a fire in the fireplace, pouring a glass of wine or whiskey, putting on a mix of mellow tunes, relaxing with the family, and eventually dozing off listening to the crackling from the fireplace. The perfect Friday night in the dead of winter.
Pete Krebs and Gossamer Wings – Her Dress so Green in the Moonlight
It is fun to discover a new artist and find out he or she has been putting out albums for twenty years. Singer-songwriter Pete Krebs has been around since the mid-nineties in a variety of bands and as a solo artist. Released in 2002, this simple, beautiful song about meeting someone for the first time seems fresh. I am looking forward to digging into his back catalog to find more gems like this.
Skyway – The Replacements
The Minneapolis band The Replacements’ influential, but never commercially successful, post-punk career was winding down when I arrived on the U of Minnesota’s campus in the late eighties. They became one of my all-time favorite bands. In this song from 1987’s Pleased to Meet Me, Paul Westerberg writes about wandering the skyways—a way to escape the biting winter cold, but also a lonely and disconnected place. For Westerberg, it was ultimately a place of longing and lost relationships.
It is fun to discover a new artist and find out he or she has been putting out albums for twenty years. Singer-songwriter Pete Krebs has been around since the mid-nineties in a variety of bands and as a solo artist. Released in 2002, this simple, beautiful song about meeting someone for the first time seems fresh. I am looking forward to digging into his back catalog to find more gems like this.
Skyway – The Replacements
The Minneapolis band The Replacements’ influential, but never commercially successful, post-punk career was winding down when I arrived on the U of Minnesota’s campus in the late eighties. They became one of my all-time favorite bands. In this song from 1987’s Pleased to Meet Me, Paul Westerberg writes about wandering the skyways—a way to escape the biting winter cold, but also a lonely and disconnected place. For Westerberg, it was ultimately a place of longing and lost relationships.
SECTION 4
I Won’t Be Long – Beck
Beck’s a perennial favorite of mine; a single from 2013. Better than his most recent album.
You’re the Gold – Ken Stringfellow
Just a happy song picked from the 100 free songs from the NPR download for SWSX this year. Plus it has an accordion.
Slow Motion – PHOX
Her voice is just too good to be true. Same live as on the record, plus she can drink a shitload of whiskey while on stage. Best show since I saw Dead Weather. She also used to work at Mother Fools.
Turtles All the Way Down – Sturgill Simpson
Bought it on vinyl on recommendation of the clerk at Strictly Disks. Love the sound.
Editor’s Note: This seems like it might be a relatively straight forward country song until you watch the video (which is outstanding) and Google the lyrics. Then it’s clear that there is much more going on here. I also enjoyed his Tiny Desk Concert.
I Won’t Be Long – Beck
Beck’s a perennial favorite of mine; a single from 2013. Better than his most recent album.
You’re the Gold – Ken Stringfellow
Just a happy song picked from the 100 free songs from the NPR download for SWSX this year. Plus it has an accordion.
Slow Motion – PHOX
Her voice is just too good to be true. Same live as on the record, plus she can drink a shitload of whiskey while on stage. Best show since I saw Dead Weather. She also used to work at Mother Fools.
Turtles All the Way Down – Sturgill Simpson
Bought it on vinyl on recommendation of the clerk at Strictly Disks. Love the sound.
Editor’s Note: This seems like it might be a relatively straight forward country song until you watch the video (which is outstanding) and Google the lyrics. Then it’s clear that there is much more going on here. I also enjoyed his Tiny Desk Concert.
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