Eclectic Grooves

2015 was a long, strange year. Throughout the year, I experienced many hardships, while at the same time being the recipient of great fortune. I purchased and listened to more music in 2015 than any other year since starting this blog, but a lack of time and energy prevented me from dedicating much time to it whatsoever.  I have thought about packing it in countless times, but each time the thought crosses my mind, I always come back to the feeling I get when I have a new idea for a post. It's really difficult to put into words, but suffice it to say that listening to music fills me with joy, and I enjoy sharing music that delights my readers. While most people have probably already started focusing their efforts on the most anticipated records for 2016, I have just begun to wrap my head around my favorite albums released in 2015. Last year I spent more time thoroughly listening to records, rather than dismissing them after a cursory listen to get through a stacked listening queu...

It's hard to fathom that I've been kicking around this mortal coil called the blogosphere since 2006. In the current social media addicted world, a music blog seems to be about as relevant to current times as parachute pants and jean jackets. But, in the fall of 2006, when I first decided to try my hand at spreading the word about music through the now antiquated format of a blog, I stumbled upon a peculiar corner of the internet named Prostrate Before a Periwinkle. Aside from the off-putting name, it was a brilliant resource for discovering esoteric artifacts from a wide variety of musical genres. Even though the link for the blog has not been active for several years, it is still possible to view small traces of it via The Wayback Machine , a magical portal into the internet's graveyard. Back in September of 2007, I posted on Eclectic Grooves about the impact that Prostrate Before a Periwinkle had on my listening habits, and contributed a new ...

I had planned on getting this year's summer mix completed before Summer Solstice.  As usual, my perfectionism stepped in, preventing me from completing the mix until a couple hours ago. While the process of gathering tracks began in the middle of May, I didn't get into finalizing my choices until last week. I feel that this years mix is filled with songs that are perfect for summer road trips, backyard barbecues and pool parties.  In keeping with the theme of the blog, it is an eclectic mix spanning genres such as rock, glam, garage, jazz, soul, funk and hip-hop. For those of you who still burn CD's, I have trimmed the length of the mix a little so it will fit on a single CD. Dive in, and let these songs make a splash in your eardrums this summer! Summer Mix2015 1) Witch- Introduction 2) Andres Landero- Perdi Las Abarcas 3) The Hombres- Let It Out (Let It all Hang Out) 4) White Fence- Raven on White Cadillac 5) Gene Harris- Put on Train 6) Shirly El...

Unknown Mortal Orchestra- Multi Love The trajectory of Ruban Nielsen's career has never been predictable. After becoming completely disenchanted with the record industry when he was playing in the punk band The Mint Chicks, Ruban was really close to leaving music in his rearview mirror. While working as an illustrator for Jacob Portrait's brother, he was working on a self-recorded project that would eventually turn into UMO's self-titled debut record, despite his feelings that no one would be interested in hearing a bunch of guitar solos. Then, after a year of touring left him feeling alienated and desperate, he poured these feelings into the band's second record II, and toured the globe for another world tour.   Within the past year, his polyamorous relationship with his wife and another woman has provided the lyrical inspiration for the band's soon to be released third record entitled Multi-Love.  Even though the official street date for Multi...

L'Orange and Jeremiah Jae- The Night Took Us in Like Family If you are the kind of person who has a difficult time when an artist you like releases an album that is a little different than what you expected, then you probably don't understand why I've been posting so much hip-hop music lately. Truthfully, I am a child of the 80's, and this was the decade where the seeds of hip-hop started to bloom into an undeniable force of nature that could no longer be ignored by the masses. Fast forward almost three decades later to 2015, a year where Kendrick Lamar releases an innovative mainstream record with heart and soul, and artists like Ghostface Killah, Adrian Younge and the aforementioned Lamar decided to incorporate live instruments into their usual repertoire of samples and programmed drum beats.  Amongst this bevy of artists experimenting with new sounds is producer/rapper Jeremiah Jae, the leader of the Black Jungle Squad, a coalition of rappers and...

Larry Coryell- Coryell When I was searching my brain for a record that deserved to be rediscovered, I came up with Larry Coryell's self-titled album from 1969 entitled simply Coryell . While Coryell's official recording debut was on Chico Hamilton's The Dealer , this is the record that would cement his reputation as one of the most sought after lead guitarists during the Jazz-fusion era in the 70's.  From the beginning of the manic guitar solo on "Sex", you can tell that Coryell is not playing around, eventually filtering his guitar through a copious amount of wah-wah and phaser effects. "Beautiful Woman" starts out unassumingly enough, with a pleasing vocal and mellow tone, but the bottom drops out in the last minute with screaming vocals and an especially biting guitar solo. Then, the urgent rhythm of  "The Jam With Albert" comes rushing out the gates, and the rest of the band masterfully compliment Coryell's m...

Today, while sifting through my Twitter feed, I noticed a Pitchfork news item that was retweeted by UMO.  I couldn't believe it when the headline of this article read something along the lines of New UMO album and tour dates .  As I am not familiar enough with the lead single "Multi-Love" yet, I can only say that the sound of this track is light years away from their last two albums.  The production is practically sumptuous, with crisp drums and synthesizers replacing the requisite psychedelic guitars and reverb.  It's too early to say what my take is on their new direction, but the melodies of this song are already circling through my brain waves. Have a listen for yourself on their soundcloud page.