Beat the Champ, Mountain Goats / Blast From the Grassed, Hayseed Dixie

Continuing the alphabet of albums, we have a B twofer.

Beat the Champ, Mountain Goats, 2015, :45

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

A concept album about wrestling, and very specifically so, with references to cage matches, spectators in the rafters, faces turning to heels, and even name-checks of specific wrestlers. But also, an album very much about people and the choices they make and the connections and spaces between them. The song "Animal Mask," for examplw, is a very clever blend of a description of a wrestling match and a rumination on singer John Darnielle's new baby son, and "Unmasked" uses the metaphor of the wrestler dropping his character to explore how accurately we seen each other in general. The album is best when straddling these two worlds. Favorite tracks: "Foreign Object," "Choked Out," "Heel Turn 2."

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Blast From the Grassed, Hayseed Dixie, 2020, :41

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The world's best bluegrass cover band takes on a dozen songs from various decades. I love pretty much anything these guys do, but I especially like it when they get goofy and fast. They've toned down the "dumb hillbilly" image a bit since their debut, but still can whoop it up. Favorite tracks: "You Need to Calm Down," "Take On Me," "Dancing Queen."

I Put a Spell On You, Nina Simone / Beach Boys' Party!, Beach Boys

Currently doing one two albums for each year, 1960-2020. Today: 1965.

I Put a Spell On You, Nina Simone, 1965, :32

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

I adore Nina Simone, one of the true vocal titans, easily up there with Aretha and Frank Sinatra if not their superior.  Her rich, commanding contralto just gives power to everything she sings, and her material usually tends toward the serious.  This album is more swingy and pop than some of her other material, and even includes an instrumental.  She also does "You've Got To Learn," an English translation of Charles Aznavour's "Il Faut Savoir," which I find odd since she sings with ease in French, such as on "Ne Me Quitte Pas" here.  Favorite tracks: "Tomorrow Is My Turn," "Marriage Is for Old Folks," "Gimme Some."

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Beach Boys' Party!, Beach Boys, 1965, :31

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Corny acoustic sing-alongs with the Beach Boys, with tambourine and bongo accompaniment. Brian Wilson mostly sits out, and "fun" "impromptu" crowd noises were dubbed in later. It sounds truly dreadful, but I have to give this a guilty-pleasure four stars. It's not by any means a great album, but good clean fun. They do Beatles and Dylan songs! And it has "Barbara Ann," an essential track.  Favorite tracks: "Barbara Ann," "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow," "I Should Have Known Better."

More Noise and Other Disturbances, Mighty Mighty Bosstones / Where’d You Go, Mighty Mighty Bosstones

It’s Manic Monday! Wherein I listen to a rocker, a punker, or just a general banger.

More Noise and Other Disturbances, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 1992, :30 

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Who doesn't love ska?  Not me!  This is the Bosstones' second album.  I've loved these guys a long time.  If you've heard anything by them, you've more or less heard them all.  Nothing wrong with that, if that's what you enjoy.  Gravelly voice, loud horns, tongue-twisting, mildly clever lyrics.  Favorite tracks: "Awfully Quiet," "What's At Stake."

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Where'd You Go, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 1991, :13

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

This EP — their second release — is a lot heavier than their later stuff. A riotous cover of "Sweet Emotion" basically renders it unrecognizable (but not better); "Enter Sandman," the best track, is much more straightforward.

Ben and "Sweets", Ben Webster & Harry "Sweets" Edison / Twelfth, Old 97’s

Ben and "Sweets", Ben Webster & Harry "Sweets" Edison, 1962, :39

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Tenor sax and trumpet veterans jam. Sound like they’re having fun, like on the eight-minute "Kitty," a lost Bond theme that never was. Swinging and rolling. Very pleasant and sometimes they even get close to something like a bop. Nothing that blows your mind or drops your jaw but all very professional, skilled, and melodic. Wynton Marsalis said this is music for "grown folks" and if you don’t like it you need to stay home sucking your thumb and playing video games. That kind of sounds like fun, too, though.  Favorite tracks: "Better Go," "Kitty."

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Twelfth, Old 97’s, 2020, :43

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The first artist to be featured here three times is, yep, the Old 97's. This is their new album. Possibly their best since Too Far To Care. Maybe sometime in the future I'll think it's five stars. Some truly genius songs on this one. If I tried to quote the good lines I'd just end up listing the lyrics to the whole song. Oh what the hell. “I like you better than a six pack of beer / And that’s the perfect amount / To make my vision unclear.” Classic. "It's safe to say we're in a real bad way / Mama used to try, now all she does is pray." Got some Magnetic Fields-esque lyrics, a Yo la Tengo melody, fast rhythms and lyrical callbacks. That last part sounds like an Old 97's line! What rhymes with callbacks? Ball sacks! This thing writes itself. I'll add that, with all due respect to "West TX Teardrops" and other terrific Murry tunes, his contributions to this album aren't really up there with his finest efforts.  Favorite tracks: "Confessional Boxing," "The Dropouts," "I Like You Better."

Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love, Jonathan Richman / The Slider, T. Rex

Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love, Jonathan Richman, 2004, :38

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

What do you get when you let Jonathan Richman do his own thing, unhindered, for decades? This album.  Twee, silly, heartfelt, maudlin, utterly indulgent through and through, same themes as ever.  Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.  Even a lesser Jonathan Richman song is honest, and fun, and life-loving.  There's a couple of French songs and couple of Italian songs on here, and, well, good for Jojo for trying new things.  There are a couple songs I might even save space for on a best of Richman: "Vincent Van Gogh," "My Baby Love Love Loves Me."

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The Slider, T. Rex, 1972, :44

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I'm perfectly aware that people consider this a five-star classic, but it just doesn't move me.  Too much guitar noodling and heavy riffs for my taste.  At least it doesn't take itself too seriously.  Fun lyrics.  Favorite tracks: "The Slider," "Ballrooms of Mars," "Chariot Choogle."

Ties of Blood and Affection, Jeremy Pinnell / Golden Hits, Roger Miller

Ties of Blood and Affection, Jeremy Pinnell, 2017, :32

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Chosen at random, knowing nothing about it.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Good solid literate country rock.  Favorite tracks: "The Ballad of 1892," "The Way We See Heaven."   

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Golden Hits, Roger Miller, 1965, :22

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents.  We all know that one.  I'm bending the rules a bit here, with this greatest hits comp instead of a real album.  But I think Miller is mostly from the singles era, anyway.  Not being familiar with his work outside of "King of the Road," I was surprised to find so many of his songs to be of the novelty genre.  Favorite songs: "King of the Road," "Dang Me," "Chug-a-Lug."

 

Sound Affects, the Jam / Sillion, Johnny Flynn

Sound Affects, The Jam, 1980, :35 

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I'm pretty familiar with the Jam.  I wasn't moved by this album, although I certainly recognize the greatness.  Maybe this one is just too experimental for me.  For example, "Music for the Last Couple" starts with some not unpleasant noises, then about 40 seconds of silence, then a pretty good song.  Why?  Favorite tracks: "That's Entertainment," "Start!"

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Sillion, Johnny Flynn, 2017, :45 

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I'm a huge fan of Flynn's masterwork, Alarum.  In comparison this one is kind of sleepy.  The problem is probably me.  This is an introspective, literate album.  It doesn't do to come to a conclusion after one quick listen.  But at an album or two a day, that's all I can give it for now.  Favorite Tracks: "In the Deepest," "Tarp in the Prop."