This is the seventh edition of the The Barn’s These Are My Jams series. To see what this is all about, check out Volume One and for more jams check out the entire My Jams series.
1. "War Pigs" is standard issue cover for bands looking to get in touch with a bit of their heavier side. That said, I don't think I've ever heard it done quite like Todd Clousser's A Love Electric. Unrecognizable at the start until it finally finds those impact chords through a haze of bleats and blurts. This is indeed heavy, but as it teeters free jazz and funk, it is evidence of just how malleable the Black Sabbath classic is and how uniquely Clousser's brain is wired.
2. Scan the entire My Jams series and you'll find there's no shortage of cool new psychedelic music. However, I'm often surprised at how compact many of the songs are -- launching out into space, but returning firmly into our atmosphere after three or four minutes. The Three Oh Sees bucks the trend with "Dream", leveraging the driving beat and trippy drone for a long intense journey. Very interested to see how this might come out live.
3. Tom Hamilton made a name for himself as a jamtronica pioneer with his band Brothers Past. American Babies showcases his singer/songwriter side, with a folksier melody-driven sensibility. Joeline is a great example of a tune that bridges the gap between the two sides of his personality.
4. The musical duo seems to taking the world by storm these days. If you're after an indie-folksy vibe, Shovels & Rope represents the best of what this format can offer. Stripped down, raw, and with a nice twang evident in both the male and female voices of the husband and wife pair, this track is called "Gasoline".
4. Wooden Shjips is a 60's psychedelic garage band for the modern age. Put on "We Ask You To Ride" or any tune from their excellent 2013 release Back To Land when you're ready to zone out.
5. Good people. Good times. Good food. Good music. That's what the video for "Pocket Full Of Misery" by Uncle Lucius is all about. Spot the cameos by Sticky Fingers, Abraxas and Levon Helm (and a T-shirt nod to legendary comedian Bill Hicks) in this wild party vid for a fine party tune. Looks like fun.
6. Starting from the funky horns of the Uncle Lucius tune, I started to get on a bit of a brass band kick during the time of the year that "That's It" was my jam. Sure... I'm kind of a NOLA junkie, but I had just assumed that Preservation Hall Jazz Band was a bit too traditional for my tastes. Luckily I was set straight when this album was released this year -- it hits the mark.
7. Pretty modern, huh? But not quite as boundary pushing as Youngblood Brass Band which provides provides that big brass band noise as a bed for a little hip hop twist. Probably some of the most danceable hip hop I've heard. "20 Questions".
