SCD Mixtape 10: Hope

[Trollheart]

No, she's gone to fight the good fight against Trump and his cronies. She asked for her account to be deleted so she could concentrate on that. Sad I know, but I'm sure we all understand her priorities lie in a different direction, as they must.

[Buckeye Randy]

1. New Year's Reprieve by Bad Moves (Submitted by Buckeye Randy) – I liked this song the first time I heard it because of the 'hope' factor.  Some people hope for sweeping things but this is a personal song in the small box of a single person that questions if hoping is worthwhile.  The simplicity of the song helps covey the message.

2. Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers (Submitted by Lisnaholic) – I know the song and really like the song.  So uplifting, well done!  4.5

3. Forward Thinker by Nimbus Sextet (Submitted by Saulaac) – This actually fits in quite well with the fusion kick I've been on lately.  To my uneducated ears, I hear lots of Stanley Clarke and his crowd.  Well Done! 4.0

4. Back to Life by Chiiild (Submitted by DJ Chameleon) – Totally new to me.  I like the lyrics in the video, it makes life easier!  I listened to this a few times and like it.  This isn't something I'll revisit but I'm glad I heard it.  Well Done!  3.5
 
5. Hope You're Feeling Better by Santana (Submitted by Yours Truly) – I know the album from parties back in the day but I think we always listened to the other side.  Great stuff and a great message.  Well Done!  4.0

It appears I'm the weak link for two mix tapes in a row!  I need to up my game!

[Saulaac]

1. New Year's Reprieve by Bad Moves (Submitted by Buckeye Randy)
An off-beat intro which was very pleasant lasting about 20 seconds and I was anticipating a massive shouting fest from the vocals, akin to Idles or something. But it didn't happen. Instead a rather sweet ballad came in and continued throughout the song.

There is some good country rock going on. The vocalist is perfect, and the whole band sounds in the groove. Not quite as spicy as I would have liked it to be in terms of stretching out those chords and/or slipping in a cheeky bridge in a different key. But there was a great guitar solo in there and the lyrics were meaningful. I liked it.

4.00 out of 5 stars


2. Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers (Submitted by Lisnaholic)
I wasn't aware that this was called "Three Little Birds". But what I am pretty sure is this was a staple tune up and down the country in the '90s. Particularly in more private parties where peeps would start to pull out their parents' vinyl collection after dinner. This tune was often in there.

And we are blessed with it! Wherever we are. On the bus, at home, in a pickle, or in a good place.

4.75 out of 5 stars


3. Forward Thinker by Nimbus Sextet (Submitted by Saulaac)
I liked this one due to its jazz fusion attributes and also because I think the band has quite a Scottish element to it, and they are probably playing at the Edinburgh Fringe at the moment. So in timely fashion I thought I'd suggest this band. I like them a lot. They are funky mothers!


4. Back to Life by Chiiild (Submitted by DJ Chameleon)
Starts off with an ethereal vibe, with a few semitones (halfsteps) in there. It got my interest. I was surprised to learn that god could be a black woman. I was initially like, holy fuck. But after contemplating, perhaps the Hebrew Israelites do have a point. A long haired person who historically was dark-skinned could indeed have been a black woman.

And I do love that brief moment at 2:21 where it goes through a few chord changes à la Canterbury.

4.75 out of 5 stars


5. Hope You're Feeling Better by Santana (Submitted by Yours Truly)

Starts off in quite a Hendrix spirit, and I must admit I was bowled over in the first half-minute. This is a great anthem, and it keeps growing into an even better anthem. Some Rolling Stones vibes too.

A very wholesome track this is. Superb guitar solo. Funky moments too.

Basically, just swallow me up right now.

5 out of 5 stars

[Lisnaholic]

Sorry, I'm running late with my comments on our mixtape, because I have internet access probs. I only have internet at work, and at work I can't listen to the mixtape.

[Lisnaholic]

New Year's Reprieve by Bad Moves (Submitted by Buckeye Randy)
Nice, loping beat and a vocalist with a bright tone, which later on is complemented by jangling guitars. It felt to me like a song I'd heard before, and yet hadn't. It's an enjoyable, busy track and it has enough going on that it's almost halfway through before they sing the hook of "Do you believe...?"
4 stars
 
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers (Submitted by Lisnaholic)
To me, this is reggae at its most infectious, with the message of the song saying exactly how the reggae beat makes me feel. This is one of the few songs I have spontaneously started singing when times have been exceptionally good.

Forward Thinker by Nimbus Sextet (Submitted by Saulaac)
This is a bouncy track, but that base riff is a little too jerky for me: I found it a little unsettling, which spoiled my enjoyment of the Nimbus Sextet's performance. Very "tight" musicianship though, especially when they stop together on a dime at 3:55, followed by my favourite section, with the keyboard as the lead instrument, a welcome break from the slightly strident horns, imo.
In the irrational way we have when watching musicians play, I took a dislike to the bass player at the back with his fancy, show-off riff. On the other hand I really liked the drummer, who has clearly perfected the Ringo Starr trick of playing perfect drums while staring off to the side as if completely indifferent to the proceedings. Coool!
2.5 stars 


Back to Life by Chiiild (Submitted by DJ Chameleon)
Most interesting track so far for me. I love how the drum and guitar kick in at 20 seconds in. The vocals were a bit too smoothly delivered for my liking, though I enjoyed the line, "If there is a god, I hope she's black..." My star rating dropped a bit because I feel the song overall didn't deliver on the high expectations I had from its intro. It's an easy song to tap along to, but doesn't really go anywhere, except to repeat itself.
3 stars 

 
Hope You're Feeling Better by Santana (Submitted by Yours Truly)
I remember hearing the rock riff of "Is that you?" as a teenager, but didn't know that it was Santana. Being Santana, there's some cool guitar soloing, especially in the second half, but for me there is a bit too much rock and not enough "exotic" Latin beat. I think the band, Santana, have some other songs that I would enjoy more.
3.5 stars  [/b][/b]

[Lisnaholic]

It appears I'm the weak link for two mix tapes in a row!  I need to up my game!

^ That's not my impression:  your selections are often among the best imo.

... Wherever we are. On the bus, at home, in a pickle, or in a good place.

^ "in a pickle or in a good place" That's a really nice turn of phrase, Saulaac!
(After reading your enthusiastic review of Forward Thinker, I now feel that I was a bit mean-spirited about the band. Sorry.  ) 

[amishfurniture]

I will join if that's ok with everyone. I'm not much for writing reviews, but I can share simple opinions. We used to do this on my old forum.

[Buckeye Randy]

More the merrier!

[Lisnaholic]

Yep, glad to have you on board, k-wipper. Now, to continue the nautical metaphor, all we have to do is locate our captain, Trollheart, who seems to've gone AWOL for the last few days: probably dockside, under a barrel, sleeping off a session of too much rum.

[Saulaac]

^ "in a pickle or in a good place" That's a really nice turn of phrase, Saulaac!
(After reading your enthusiastic review of Forward Thinker, I now feel that I was a bit mean-spirited about the band. Sorry.  ) 

No worries Lisna, reviews are wholly subjective so some of them are bound to get a roasting from time to time.

I will join if that's ok with everyone. I'm not much for writing reviews, but I can share simple opinions. We used to do this on my old forum.

Sounds good, klerewipper. Welkom.

[Trollheart]

https://scd.community/index.php?topic=73.0

[Trollheart]

Right! Who's the ignorant little git who has held up my thread for almost a month! Eh? Speak up, come on! I'll find out who it is event.. uall .. oh. Right.

Sorry about that. In which case, maybe I should just get my reviews done, eh? Sound like a plan? Let everyone move on. Here we go then.


Song: "New Year's Reprieve"
Artist:  Bad Moves
Nationality: American
Source: 3rd album Wearing Out the Refrain
Year: 2024
Genre: Power Pop/Indie Rock
Submitted by: Buckeye Randy
Familiarity: Zero
Comments: Got to say, this had me nodding my head and tapping my fingers as soon as it began. After a slight dip in the quality of his usual selections, Buckeye is back with another winner. And it's not even punk! Totally catchy and singalong, she has a great voice - doesn't overwhelm the music but makes herself heard. Great guitar work, just a really uplifting song. Cool. Chicken dinner for you, Mr. R!
Rating:


Song: "Three Little Birds"
Artist:  Bob Marley and the Whalers. Sorry, Wailers.
Nationality: Jamaican. Mon.
Source: 8th album Exodus
Year: 1977
Genre: Reggae
Submitted by: Lisnaholic
Familiarity: Ah who doesn't know this one?
Comments: Anyone who even has to listen to this before awarding it five stars deserves to be stuck in a room with Jedward's Greatest Hits and headphones taped to their ears. Yeah, how can you not love this song? You can be in the blackest depression (and I know, believe me) and this will make you feel better. The ultimate "hope" song? Probably. Plus it was one of Karen's favourite songs, so no problem awarding it top marks.
Rating:


Song: "Forward Thinker"
Artist: Nimbus Sextet
Nationality: Scottish
Source: 2nd album Forward Thinker
Year: 2022
Genre: Surprisingly, jazz!
Submitted by: Saulaac
Familiarity: Zero
Comments: Sorry but you know where I am with jazz - as far as possible away from it. This just epitomises why I hate the genre. I find this boring and pedestrian, with far too many horns for my liking. Nothing here for me. Is there such a thing as a short jazz song? What do you mean, this [iis[/i] a short jazz song? Ah, I rest my case. Nobody touch it: you do not want to see what's in there!
Rating:

Song: "Back to Life"
Artist: Chiiild
Nationality: American?
Source: Dunno
Year: Who knows?
Genre: Sounds like Dream Pop maybe, but unsure
Submitted by: DJ Chameleon
Familiarity: Zero, unless it's that Soul II Soul song? Probably not.
Comments: This one eluded me. There was a Chiiild, with two albums, both of which had a lot of hope-inspired tracks (one even with an album entitled Hope for Sale) but as I couldn't find this song on either, and they're Canadian, I had to assume it was not them. Must say I like the song though; not the usual sort of thing DJ gives us, so nice to see a bit of variety here. Vocal is very dream pop, and in ways reminds me of a slower Human League maybe. Very relaxing and enjoyable.
Rating:

Song: "Hope Your're Feeling Better"
Artist: Santana
Nationality: American
Source:  2nd album Abraxas
Year: 1970
Genre: Jazz fusion (yeah I know)
Submitted by: Me
Familiarity: One of only two Santana albums I have, and have heard.
Comments: This album I believe I bought for two reasons; the cover, and I was at the time reading a story called "Abraxas and the Earthman" (don't ask) so it wasn't quite what I had expected, but it's still a great album. And the song certainly is appropriate and relevant to my recent descent into the pits of despair and terror. Very upbeat and almost prog rock in its way; love the growling organs and the guitar solo is, well, Santana.

[Lisnaholic]

I'm sorry that you've been through such a difficult time over the last few weeks, Trollheart, and I'm very happy to see you posting again.

Interesting reviews, as always:
i) I'm glad I picked a song that Karen liked too
ii) thanks for showing us that great Nimbus Sextet cover
iii) Yeah, quite a coincidence that you were reading a book with the uncommon name Abraxas in the title. It's a little bit like the time I was reading the biography of Captain Beefheart, then realised that I had eight albums by a musician with exactly the same name ! Zany - or better still, as you yourself have said, "Makes you think."

[Trollheart]

Thanks Lisna. Yeah it's good to be back.
Karen's carers knew she was a natural worrier (not surprisingly, but even before she got sick) so they would sing that song to her. It was really cute and very nice of them. Always loved that. I mean, I'm no reggae fan, but you can't argue with the hits can you? "No Woman, No Cry", "One Love", "Three Little Birds", "I Shot the Sheriff (But the Deputy Got Away; Had I Been Able to Reload in Time That Motherfucker Would Be Six Feet Under Now)" - original and seldom-used title - all classics that make you feel the sun shining just a little brighter, even in rainy Dublin.

[Lisnaholic]

Yes, that was a really nice thing for the carers to do, TH. I'm about with you on reggae; it's ok for a while but after a few songs I need something different to listen to. Apart from Bob Marley, I think my deepest dive into reggae was listening to Below the Baseline, an instrumental album by Ernest Ranglin:-

* checks YouTube for "I Shot the Sheriff (But the Deputy Got Away; Had I Been Able to Reload in Time That Motherfucker Would Be Six Feet Under Now)" * LOL