Posts Tagged Spoken Word
Archive
December 10, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 4
Rod McKuen / Anita Kerr / The San Sebastian Strings, The Soft Sea (1970) I’m a sucker. I go into opp shops and salvation army stores and dig through the weary old cardboard box of the same old classical-lite shite. And I sometimes think I’ve found a gem. And sometimes I have. I don’t revisit […]Archive
October 15, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 39
Lana Del Rey, Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass (2020) Well, 2020 has thrown up some strange curveballs but I didn’t figure it would be the year I finally owned a Lana Del Rey record. I won’t go too much into it but I guess it all started late last year when I heard her […]Archive
October 8, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Imelda May: Slip Of The Tongue
Imelda May Slip Of The Tongue Decca (UMO) This is a spoken-word/poetry album (EP). I feel it’s worth putting that right there as a warning, since May made her name pumping out rockabilly and subtly reminding people of some of its Irish roots. Her music is a throwback to another era and it performs its […]Archive
September 1, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Shit That’s Good! Crap Albums I Love # 36 – Jim Morrison, “An American Prayer”
Jim Morrison, An American Prayer, 1978 I’ll always maintain that in terms of poetry, Jim Morrison had a spectacular voice. Maybe not anything special as actual poetic voice – but his spoken-world delivery was superb. He was just mad enough and insecure enough to want to try to believe everything he said. But quite apart […]Archive
August 18, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Gil Scott-Heron: We’re New Again – A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven
Gil Scott-Heron We’re New Again – A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven XL Recordings Ten years ago Gil Scott-Heron released his final album with in a year it had been remixed by Jamie xx, essentially reworked, Scott-Heron’s poems and stories and hoarse song-whispers and croaks dancing now in and around the glorious sound waves that The […]Archive
August 8, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
RNZ Reviews: August 2020
Once a month or so I have a chat on RNZ on their Afternoons show with Jesse Mulligan. These things start – randomly and stop in much the same way. I hope to keep doing this. For a while at least. I think I started in December of 2015, so now four years into it or so… In […]Archive
August 6, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Lana Del Rey: Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass [Audiobook Edition]
Lana Del Rey Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass [Audiobook Edition] Audible I’m new to Lana Del Rey appreciation. I wasn’t ever a fan. Until I heard – and heard again (and could not shake) her most recent album, the brilliant Norman Fucking Rockwell! That happened. I was late to the party, but enthusiastic about […]Archive
August 2, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Shit That’s Good! Crap Albums I Love # 35 – Charles Bukowski, “Hostage”
Charles Bukowski, Hostage, 1985 the bulls are grand as the side of the sun and although they kill them for the stale crowds, it is the bull that burns the fire, and although there are cowardly bulls as there are cowardly matadors and cowardly men, generally the bull stands pure and dies pure untouched by […]Archive
March 7, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Laurie Anderson – Here Comes The Ocean (March 6, Wellington)
Laurie Anderson – Here Comes The Ocean MFC, Wellington Friday, March 6 Laurie Anderson was invited to the NZ Festival as one of the guest curators – that meant performances from Anderson as well, including this: her symphony of ocean-inspired songs from late husband Lou Reed and various texts and spoken word pieces of her […]Archive
February 24, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Kate Tempest (February 24, Wellington)
Kate Tempest MFC, Wellington Monday, February 24 I’d had people asking me about Kate Tempest ever since she was announced to be part of the 2020 NZ Festival. I’d seen her five years back when she was lesser known out here and it was one of the best gigs I’ve ever seen. So all I’d […]Archive
October 20, 2019 by Simon Sweetman