This is the fourth 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 Volume Two and Volume Three.
1. I admit to doing a double take when I first heard the chorus to Rubblebucket's "Came Out Of A Lady", but of course, the sentiment is true for everybody.... each and every one of us DID come out of a lady. And once you hear that catchy phrasing and toe-tapping beat, you'll be hearing it again and again in your head.
2. Woods often gets categorized into a sub-genre called psych folk that appears to be gaining prominence. Whatever you call it, it seems to hit my sweet spot quite well: well-crafted acoustic leaning melodies with some tonal adventurousness, maybe even a little improv tossed in. "Cali In A Cup " is a nice summary of the style.
3. Most of the time, one of the first wordw that comes to mind when I think of Bad Plus is brooding. While not a very flattering term for describing most other things, I consider it a high complement for music, particularly the stark, intense jazz of "Seven Minute Mind", which of course clocks in at under six minutes.
4. Get this album! One of the best quality sets from beginning to end that I've heard in a while, perhaps Lord Huron's Lonesome Dreams also qualifies as psych folk. In any case, the meticulously crafted video for "Time To Run" serves to visualize the cinematic scope and majesty of their music.
5. Here We Go Magic settles into a head-turning rhythm right away on the track "Make Up Your Mind". From there, they find lots of fun places to explore melodically and lyrically, punctuated by synth washes and other flourishes but never stepping off that funky beat.
6. If somebody can tell me how the denizens of the Bing Lounge are actually SITTING DOWN during Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears performance of "Livin' In The Jungle", I'd be obliged to know. Best I can tell, they must be glued (or nailed) to their seats.
