HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ AYLA BROOK & THE SOUND MEN
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Ayla Brook & The Sound Men — a group of music-makers out of Edmonton, Alberta who have a great new album out called ‘Desolation Sounds’ (and you can catch the track ‘(I Think I) Hit My Limit’ on the HI54 Mix CD ‘EH CANADA’).
#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?
Ayla Brook: The last song to give me goosebumps on the first listen was the live video of 'Hares on the Mountain' sung by Radie Peat of the Irish folk group Lankum. Raw, honest emotional performance. Even folks who think they don't like Irish folk music will enjoy. Not sure what internet rabbit hole I fell down to find it, but I'm glad I did.
Brent Oliver: I’ve got two - one old and one new. The old is X’s first album in 35 years - Alphabetland. Somehow, John Doe, Exene Cervenka and crew made a modern sounding, old LA punk rock record that’s full of excellent songwriting, playing and their signature vocal harmonies.
The new is Edmonton band Wares new album Survival on Mint Records. Besides the excellent musicianship and vocals of band leader Cassia Hardy, the content is stark and powerful - songs about transition and isolation in a northern town. I’ve listened to both albums multiple times in the past two weeks.
#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?
Ayla: As I was climbing out of the rabbit hole I found another treasure. The documentary 'A Story of Sahel Sounds' about the North African guitar music scene as explored by an American record label owner. Folks use their cell phones to record the music and then share the files over bluetooth. The amps are all battery powered because it's hard to find power in the desert. Very cool.
Brent: Ayla hates sports so I’ll say The Last Dance, Chicago Bulls documentary on Netflix. I’ve seen all 6 of the released episodes and can’t wait for the final 4. It’s amazing the amount of storytelling through new interviews and old footage from the final 1998 season of the Bulls. Plus, it’s an interesting insight into the drive for perfection by Michael Jordan.
#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE LOCAL BOOK STORE (OK, MAYBE THE LOCAL LIBRARY FIRST) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?
Ayla: If you're a fan of the blues I'd recommend 'Spinning Blues Into Gold' by Nadine Cohodas. It's the story of the Chess Brothers of the famous Chess Records. Lots of tales about the early blues greats like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. If you're feeling a bit more escapist 'Kings of the Wyld' by Canadian author Nichols Eames is a fun read.
It's a fantasy world where monster killing mercenary bands act and are treated like rock stars. The book flips many fantasy tropes upside down and doesn't take itself too seriously.
Brent: I tend to gravitate towards nonfiction, and audiobook versions of a release. The last couple I listened to were Trevor Noah’s childhood autobiography “Born A Crime” about his upbringing in apartheid South Africa and being born of mixed race - a crime in the country at that time. The other is the audio version of the Beastie Boys book, read by surviving members of the group, and such interesting choices as Bette Midler, Elvis Costello, Chuck D and Will Ferrell.
#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?
Ayla: I'd be very upset if all the YouTube guitar gear videos vanished. Having spent many years working in music stores I've grown to love seeing all the cool new kit, learning how folks put their rigs together and what this guitar pickup sounds like vs that one. I don't get a chance to hang out at the guitar shop like I used to so those vids help me get my guitar nerd fix.
Brent: I’d say a music streaming and distro service like SoundCloud or Bandcamp. While the big streamers still make it difficult to get music on their platforms, both SoundCloud and Bandcamp can do it simply and with minimal cost. I’m old enough to remember putting out tapes duplicated in my bedroom in high school since no one could afford doing CD duplication. It’s reassuring that any artist who wants their music heard can click a couple buttons and the world has it in a matter of minutes.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITTING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
Ayla: Speaking of nerdery, I'm a big fan of Dungeons & Dragons and the game has seen a huge resurgence since the latest version of the rules were released. One of my favorite ways to pass the time while I deliver the mail in my day job is to listen to comedians play D&D on podcasts. Two of my favorites are 'The Adventure Zone' made by the McElroy boys of the 'My Brother, My Brother and Me' podcast, and Brian Posehn's 'Nerd Poker'. Comedy gold (and you don't need to know anything about the game to enjoy them).
Brent: I’ll agree with Ayla’s recommendation for podcasts. I listen to a ton of them on everything from the history of Prince’s music (The Story of 1999), to a chronological review of Star Trek The Next Generation and Deep Space 9 (The Greatest Generation), to political and media podcasts like Lovett or Leave It and Canadaland. I feel it’s nice these days to either listen to a conversation between intelligent people, or reminisce about something I share a mutual love for.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Ayla Brook & The Sound Men think you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go back to listening to whatever podcast you were listening to before, make sure to follow Ayla & The Sound Men on the Facebook / Instagram / Twitter and then also give ‘(I Think I) Hit My Limit’ a listen below…
