As accustomed, every year around this time we look back and review some of the best albums that I’ve enjoyed in the past year. In this installment of the Little Lighthouse, we review albums that took #30-#14 positions on my list. Although, it should be said that the list is that of a moment, and not a result of a very careful deliberation. Enjoy the music! Top 13 next week.
Yawpers – Earn Your Heaven;
Motorpsycho – Lux Aeterna;
Meat Puppets – The Great Awakening;
Mattiel – Rescue You;
Thee Melomen – Time Has Come;
Ty Segall – Squealer;
Redd Kross – Punk II;
Eamon McGrath – Unsung Warsong;
Morlocs – Buffoon;
Bad Moves – Out of Reach;
Lisa Prank – Rodeo;
Jonathan Richman – Alegre Soy;
The Flesh Eaters – The Green Manalishi;
Mikal Cronin – Fire;
Wolfmanhatan Project – Jar in the Staircase;
Eugene Chadbourne and The Sunwatchers – Give Back The Key To My Heart;
Those Pretty Wrongs – Undertow.
Flesh Eaters new album I Used To Be Pretty is in our hands and we check it out. Legendary Evan Dando and his Lemonheads announce their future release with the new single. The first singer of All, Dave Smalley is back as well with the new record. But, we kick off with the new stuff by Th’ Losin’ Streaks from Sacramento, CA. Then we check out the new music from Heavy Drapes. They come from UK and cope with the loss of their beloved member Garry Alexander Borland, but they continue strong without him. Over in Croatia, we introduce stoner rockers by the name of Stonebride. Residents founder Hardy Fox has passed away and so did Clydie King, legendary backup singer and Bob Dylan’s muse from the 80s. We pay respects to both of them.
Today we have a brand new track from The Flesh Eaters, who reformed in their most notorious line up, featuring Chris D, Steve Berlin, DJ Bonebrake, John Doe, Bill Bateman and Dave Alvin. And it’s a cover of a lesser known Sonics tune! We also have the new tune from Emma DeCorsey of I Am The Polish Army from her new cassette Dream. Clara Engel from Toronto in Canada also has a new album A Shore Far From Any Prison. Clara will be playing live in Cleveland on December 7th at Euclid Tavern and on December 8th at The Whiskey Bar. Emma will be playing at Blue Arrow Records on November 10th at 3pm. Both of them are coming to Cleveland through a booking production of The Little Lighthouse. So that’s something new I’m doing and it would be appreciated if you all come and support the effort. Talking about Blue Arrow Records, new Jonathan Richman record is coming out today on that label and it’s called Sa. It features Jerry Harrison on keyboards, among others. We also introduce Maiorano from Berlin Germany, Michael Head from Liverpool, England and an older record that came on Ill In The Head Records by a Croatian band Gipps. On Numero, there is also a nice reissue compilation entitled Basement Beehive: The Girl Group Underground. We check it all out today.
Jonathan Richman has a new single with our sponsor The Blue Arrow Records and we check it out. Also, we hear the new singles from Eamon McGrath and Low Cut Connie. Two bands share a split EP, Remedy from Austria and ESC Life from Croatia. ESC Life used to be a backing band for Grant Hart when he did a tour in Europe a few years ago. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard continue their hyper-production with yet another new album which they call Polygondwanaland. Our show today is dedicated to the drummer of Flesh Eaters, Christian Free who used to be a part of their 90s line up and passed away last week. Also Kak Channthy of The Cambodian Space Project got killed in a car accident last week. We didn’t play this band before, but it’s still important to pay respect to this spectacularly interesting singer-songwriter.
The first part of today’s show is mostly filled with the new tunes. We start off with the new music from Barrence Whitfield, who continues his furious comeback with a new record called Under a Savage Sky. Then we introduce a new duet from Cleveland Wesley Who, with a live recording of a Prince song. We also introduce Slates from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada – compatriots of Eamon McGrath. Plastic Pals from Sweden are back with the new single. The second part of the show dominates with music of several folks that we lost in the recent days: country music singer Lynn Anderson, record producer Bob Johnston, Flesh Eaters guitarist Stuart Lederer and Eddie Hardin who had a tough job filling Steve Winwood’s shoes in Spencer Davis Group, but also wrote one of my favorite tunes ever Time Seller.
Today we begin with some vinyl reissues from Superior Viaduct – 100 Flowers and Flesh Eaters. Then we hear a Sweet Apple B side, which is a cover of Scientists’ Frantic Romantic. Then we go to Italy, where our friends Cheap Wine have a new record, tenth in seventeen years! Jesse Winchester who passed away earlier this year, recorded an LP worth of stuff which has just come out and we check it out. Singer songwriter Kim Simpson returns with music set to the DuÅ¡ko Trifunović lyrics. And Maggie Björklund who we know well from her collaborations with Howe Gelb and John Doe has a record on her own. Also, Mike Watt and his Italian sailors visited my town, and we have it on a tape. Il Sogno Del Marinaio! The most famous musician out of Boise ID, Paul Revere passed away and we pay a small tribute to his legacy.