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Dispatches from the Highlands
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Album Notes from Erickson “The Soundtrack to your Chill” Cat Stevens Teaser and the Firecat (50th Anniversary) Alright folks, it's anniversary time again. This one might seem slightly out of left field, although not as far out there as our Obscure October series (read at Cannapages.com).
White Denim Crystal Bullets / King Tears
Can a single be an album? Can an album exist if it is never formally acknowledged as such? In the curious case of White Denim's rollout of "Crystal Bullets / King Tears" as a 12", the answer is yes.
The Austin band dropped the pair of tunes digitally at the end of July. Shortly thereafter when the vinyl version appeared in stores, as needle
While this album will be getting the full 50th anniver- sary super-deluxe special sauce-lettuce cheese-pickles- onions treatment featuring a smatter- ing of demos, alter-
hit groove, unsuspecting fans were greeted to the realization that a nine-song effort was bestowed upon them, getting far more than they bargained for in the best way possible. While White Denim's website proudly pro- motes the single, as far as I can tell the only acknowledgment from James Petralli and co. that it is in fact a proper album, is courtesy of a single tweet in reply. Still not fully available digitally, I may never have heard the whole record without the ser- endipity of stumbling into a rip of the vinyl. One of the better albums I've heard this year, I can only hope it reaches a wider audience. The marketing tactics, or lack thereof, are fascinating. Perhaps that's the point. Maybe every so often, we can have nice things. This is as White as the Denim gets in Pe- tralli's world. Who knows if/when this would be 11th full-length LP will get a release in any other format. Whatever it is, it is undoubt- edly a worthy addition to their impressive catalogue of catchy groove rock. Notable Autumn: Checkout Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by UK rapper Little Simz. Septem- ber's album reveals an artist in total command, one unafraid to correctly assert her virtuosity, yet unwilling to engage in that which others fall prey to with the expectations of stardom.
nate takes, live versions, etc., on, curiously, November 12, it was in fact October 1, 1971, when Cat Stevens gave the world Teaser and the Firecat , solidifying his genteel place in the industry, and building upon the success of the more-fondly remembered today Tea for the Tillerman , released just 10 months prior. Depending on your familiarity with Cat Stevens, aka Yusuf Islam, aka Yusuf, aka Yusuf / Cat Stevens, you'll likely recognize multiple songs. "Peace Train" is the enduring tune, but "Morning Has Broken," "Bitterblue," and "Moonshadow" may well spark memories for listeners in melody if not in name. There are no frills on Teaser and the Firecat and no grand desire from the songwriter to make art for any other reason than channel- ing that which he knows, a necessary release valve. Pureness is the pervading quality. There is also no filler, just top-notch song- writing across this 33-minute masterpiece. And although Teaser's predecessor is widely regarded as the Englishman's peak, to me this 10-song effort represents the pinnacle of a fantastic career and comfortably resides in the upper echelon of the folk rock genre.
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