Luka Bloom - Between The Mountain And The Moon

MINE

Forgotten Gem!  I love Luka - that Irish accent just makes me weak at the knees, doesn't it girls? - but I'm so predictable when it comes to what I play of his, whenever I'm tempted to give his CDs a spin.  It's either my first Bloom - The Acoustic Motorbike - or Turf, or his covers collection, Keeper of the Flame.  All of which are delightful in their way, but I've only played this one once or twice. 

And now I have to put all my Luka on the iPod so I can have that supreme relaxing, everything's-going-to-be-alright feel on tap.  Just the thing after a hard day at work, or after a fight with my mother (all too often these days), or when I'm just feeling a bit out of sorts.  Guaranteed to dispel road rage - maybe he should be required listening for courier drivers and taxis, so they don't act like hooligans all over the road.

He's a big fan of the Antipodes, and I've seen him lots and lots of times.  A real showman, I recall one great performance when Sydney threw on one of her big summer storms - thunderbolts and lightning didn't seem to faze him, though he did have to turn the volume up a bit!  Wonder when he's coming again? (YourZ sez: yeah, lets go see him again - I'm keen!)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (aah, I'm relaxing already!)

YOURZ


One of the first concerts Mine and YourZ (truly) went to as a couple was to see Luka in a solo show.  So keen was Mine to see him, she got online very early and got us seats in the front row.  I can't remember who the supports were because they absolutely paled next to Luka.  He sang and played and told stories like he was playing to a group of friends instead of a few thousand people.  It absolutely blew me away and is still one of the most memorable live performances I've ever seen. (Mine says: remember the girl in the audience who sang Sunny Sailor Boy with him?  Goosebumps!)

Having said this, I now have to admit I don't listen to his recorded material despite the fact we have a number of his discs in our collection.  I've heard The Acoustic Motorbike lots over the years and his album of covers a few times as well (His version of Radiohead's No Surprises is worth the price of the album alone).  But I've not heard Between The Mountain And The Moon before. What a treat it is.  I can't go the whole hog and call it a Forgotten Gem like Mine has done because I didn't know it was in the collection to start with, but it's well deserving of  the title regardless.

The think about Luka I enjoy is his ability to maintain my interest.  I'm not much into this kind of music, generally speaking.  But I happily listened to Between The Mountain... a number of times in a row.  I didn't feel bored or skip through any of the tracks.  His is the music of joy and light and I will just as happily listen to it again soon, along with the others in our collection.  And no, I'm not going soft either.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.lukabloom.com/

In our collection we also have The Acoustic Motorbike, Keeper Of The Flame, Turf, Salty Heaven and Before Sleep Comes

Billy Bragg - William Bloke

MINE

Ah, Billy.  Our relationship began all those years ago, on a late-night TV music show, not with any of your recordings but with the vocal stylings of one late-lamented Kirsty MacColl (of whom, I'm freely betting, more will appear here).  Her version of your song  A New England held me transfixed.  In fact, so enamoured was I of Ms MacColl's version, I sneered at yours when I was introduced to it a short time later.

It wasn't until I heard Talking with the Taxman About Poetry - which opens with the delightful Greetings to the New Brunette and also features the transcendant  Levi Stubbs' Tears - that I really understood what you were all about.  But I've always preferred your personal songs to your political ones, despite agreeing with what you have to say, you old-skool lefty.

I've seen you - um, three or four times, can't remember - and for a while there you were one in a whole range of blokes-with-a-guitar I saw back-to-back (Luka Bloom and Elvis Costello also featured as such, I recall).  But William Bloke doesn't have much on it I like.  Everybody Loves You Babe made me smile, and The Space Race is Over echoed my feelings so well - didn't we all dream of walking on the moon?  But generally this doesn't have much in it to warrant keeping it in the collection.

Fear not though Billy, I think your best-of album Must I Paint You A Picture? will be on my to-buy list.  I can see this blog's going to prove expensive, in the end.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT


YOURZ

If there is such a thing as English country music, then Billy Bragg is definitely one of its biggest proponents, particularly on William Bloke, his eighth album.  Musically, this album moves between quiet, stripped back tunes reminiscent of Randy Newman (with a similar kind of humour too) to mid-tempo numbers.

Lyrically, Billy continues to tread pretty much the same ground he's always done, moving between quasi-political and protest songs to more personal songs about love.  Gone is the raw, raggedness of his earlier releases and in its place is a smoothness in production that, quite frankly, makes it bland and boring.

I like Billy.  He's intelligent, articulate and passionate.  He also enjoys a beer or three. He has a wonderful wit and because of this, his column in Q Magazine is one of the first things I read with each new issue.  As it is, I would love to say I enjoyed listening to this and although I tried hard to, I couldn't. Sorry Billy...

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.billybragg.co.uk/