It’s that time of year again where we share our “top ten” lists from the Burst & Bloom friends and family…
Read on for lists from Guy Capecelatro III, Chris Cote, Sean Hood, Dylan Metrano, Jim Rioux, and Audrey Ryan.
End Times Fun from the B&B gang. Stay safe. Keep rockin’.
Dylan Metrano (Tiger Saw)
Also, Khrunagbin at the Greek in L.A. The film Together, Together making such a splash. The return of Curb Your Enthusiasm. My A+ / five-star album “Wet & Unlucky” by Tiger Saw & the Reasons Why. All the Nick Cave. Keep ’em coming. Warren Ellis‘ book “Nina Simone’s Gum”. Have you heard Ranky Tanky? The continuing brilliance of David Pajo. Jonathan Richman in the VU movie. The Cocaine & Rhinestones podcast for the sheer weight of it all. Mike Birbiglia‘s pizza parties. The White Lotus. Seth Myers and the Sea Captain. Bath, Maine, city of ships. Did Superwolves play your town? Lulu and Sophie / my heart. And finally, my secret project with GSM, to be unveiled in 2022!
Eric Ott
Guy Capecelatro III
Top Albums:
A lot of albums. Sure. Felt like a good year for music. For me. Home Video by Lucy Dacus was the one I listened to the most. There’s proof. Something of a singing of teen diaries but so artfully crafted and affecting. The Weather Station’s Ignorance was another big blast, which seemed like a real leap in artistry. Late to the show was Margo Cilker’s Pohorylle, produced by another favorite, Sera Cahoone; very original and traditional at the same time.
Andy Shauf – Wilds
Hovvdy – True Love
Ada Lea – One hand on the Steering Wheel…
Typhoon – Sympathetic Magic
Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
Josienne Clarke – A Small Unknowable Thing
Madi Diaz – History of a Feeling
Charlotte Cornfield – Highs in the Minuses
Keaton Henson – Fragments ep
Lou Barlow – Reason to Live
Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
Lucy Dacus – Home Video
Squirrel Flower – Planet X
Remember Sports – Like a Stone
Jade Bird – Different Kinds of Light
The Weather Station – Ignorance
Valley Maker – When the Day Leaves
Belaver – Lain Prone
Trace Mountains – House of Confusion
Margo Cilker – Pohorylle
Top TV Shows:
It feels as though TV continues to explode, in terms of writing, acting and production. Movies have definitely taken a backseat as television can set up a real well realized story arc over the course of 6-12 episodes. Condor, based on the 1975 movie Six Days of the Condor with Robert Redford, was the one I kept wishing I could binge as it was so compelling and nuanced. Mike White’s The White Lotus felt like a greatest hits of what he’s always shooting for with mildly despicable but utterly engrossing characters. And Feel Good was a weird mix of slapstick humor and thick emotional depth that had me thinking about the human experience in a different way.
Condor
Sex Education
Back to Life
The White Lotus
Insecure
UFO
Mr. Inbetween
Killing Eve
Painting With John
Lupin
Feel Good
Top Movies:
Didn’t see a single movie in the theater which means I’ve yet to see The French Dispatch and Licorice Pizza which would surely have been on this list. I can’t imagine a time in which a Jane Campion film wouldn’t be in my top picks and Power of the Dog certainly didn’t disappoint. Together Together felt very modern and small in a way that, in the hands of a good director, can really work. Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time made me cry more than I’d anticipated. Amazing to get a thorough look into such an amazing human’s life.
Power of the Dog
Nomadland
Limbo
Together Together
The Velvet Underground
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The Card Counter
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time
Audrey Ryan
Top 10 podcasts:
1. S-Town
2. Goodbye to All This
3. Suspect
4. Chameleon
5. Where Should We Begin?
6. The Daily
7. Disgraceland
8. Borderlands
9. Beartown
10. Dear Sugars
Order HERE.
NOW OUT FEBRUARY 14, 2021! Order here.
Each year, we collect “top ten”lists from Burst & Bloom artists, friends, and family. This year, we asked them to write a little bit about one or more things that they loved this year. The idea is simply to inspire you to discover something that you might like. Art isn’t a competition, but here are some things you might dig.
Guy Capecelatro III
Top Ten Albums (ordered randomly):
Jason Molina Eight Gates It feels surreal and dream-like to get another album from one of my favorite songwriters who died seven years ago. A quieter, mostly stripped-down affair but amazingly strong and heart-felt songs and well recorded in a studio as opposed to a few of the other more demo-like offerings that have popped up. So glad to get to bask in these unearthed gems.
Phoebe Bridgers Punisher Bridgers’ songs are fully realized and emotionally wrought. She’s an amazing collaborator, producer and now has her own record imprint. The mix of literate, nuanced writing and her amazingly compelling voice really bring the songs home. There truly is hope hope for the future.
Hello Emerson How to Cook Everything This band was a new discovery for me and a fun ride with their lovely and varied instrumentation and arrangements. It feels like they really enjoyed the making this album. Looking forward to more such.
Andy Shauf The Neon Skyline Shauf seems to make my list every time he releases an album and, after the fantastic Foxwarren album last year, this is a great return to form. Amazing concept album where all the songs cumulatively create a whole story and the fun, 70’s-style production is really nice. And Shauf performs all the instrumentation himself.
Pinegrove Marigold In January, Pinegrove came out of a strange hiatus to release this terrific collection of songs. To my ears, Evan Stephens Hall is one of the most interesting writers in music and the band seems to work together so easily and collaboratively.
Courtney Marie Andrews Old Flowers This album explores the dissolution and aftermath of a long-term relationship. Lovely, understated production and a crack team of Matthew Davidson of Twain fame and Big Thief drummer James Krivchenia. It’s a plaintive, dreamy journey and a great late-night listen.
Will Johnson El Capitan For this newest album by Will Johnson he kept things pretty low-key with spare arrangements from Thor Harris, Lindsey Verrill and Britton Beisenherz. The songs are fairly lo-fi, recorded to tape with hiss and clicks but the intimacy of the sessions and the power of the songs are really effecting.
Tricky Fall to Pieces The last few Tricky releases have been strong returns to form and this might be the most cohesive and solid of the bunch. He’s got some amazing singers on board, paired with his own gravelly, in your head deliveries.
Fenne Lily Breach It took a couple years for the follow up to Fenne Lily’s debut but it’s well worth it. Some of the songs here have a more “pop” approach but she brings her voice along in such a commanding way and there’s a nice range throughout the album.
Avians Alight Old/ New/ All For You Jenna Conrad came to my attention playing on three of Damien Jurado’s albums and, along with Eric Fischer, was a part of his amazing live band. She put out an album of her own material ten years ago without much fanfare but her voice and the songs really worked for me. Mysteriously, this album popped up this year and is tremendous.
Other Notable Releases (ordered randomly):
Alice Boman Dream On, Jill Andrews Thirties, JFDR New Dreams Trace Mountains Lost in the Country, Christian Lee Hutson Beginners, Information Zittle Muy, Merce Lemon Ride Every Day, Nadia Reid Out of My Province, Information Zittle Muy, Owen Avalanche, Field Report Break Light Red Tide, Lomelda Hannah, Caitlin Pasko Greenhouse, Told Slant Point the Flashlight and Walk
Top 10 Movies (ordered randomly):
I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Lazy Susan, Crip Camp, First Cow, Rewind, Why Don’t You Just Die, Kajillionaire, The Painter and the Thief, Babyteeth, Relic
Top 10 TV Shows (ordered randomly):
Kidding, Killing Eve, Briarpatch, I Know This Much is True, Euphoria, His Dark Materials, The Alienist, We Hunt Together, The Vow, Queen’s Gambit
Chris Cote (Almanac Mountain)
The best song I heard all year was “Fortune” by Laura Marling. The song itself, with its fingerstyle folk guitar accompaniment, has a simple, timeless beauty, but whoever did the string arrangement wrings every possible drop of gorgeousness out of the music. It takes my breath away every time I hear it. Marling’s voice dials back the emotion, leaving room for all those lush violin harmonics to take on the bulk of that responsibility. It feels like the sweetest pain.
Jocelyn Mackenzie
The Art of Heather Friedli
Heather’s paintings have gotten me through 2020. Her gorgeous landscapes look like stained glass paintings to me. She also hosts livestreams of JAZZADANCEAPAINTATHONs from her studio, acts of pure bliss in which she dances while she paints and connects with her audience online during her creative process. Heather is a dear friend and I’ve been following her career since 2001, and to see how she’s grown and blossomed in this time as an artist is truly inspiring to me. She’s a mother and also an adventurer, taking regular treks out into the wild to reconnect with nature… she once even hiked the Appalachian Trail using only tools and supplies she had handmade herself. Her work is stunning, her energy is so positive, and she is truly unstoppable, a genuine combination of raw talent, guts, and determination. I root for Heather every day.
https://www.instagram.com/friedliarts/
PS: She sells her paintings online, and also has 2021 calendars of her work available now!
Dylan Metrano (Tiger Saw)
In the year 2020, a year that we’ll remember as a time when it all came to a halt; when it all seemed to be falling apart at the seams, I derived a lot of comfort from Nick Cave. I’ve been digging into his vast catalog, and found that there is much to uncover. But also his Red Hand Files arrives in my email inbox once or twice a week. People from all over the world write to Cave, and ask him all kinds of questions, from the mundane to the poignant. His answers are always well-thought, sincere, and often funny. It’s sort of an advice column from another dimension. Cave takes every question seriously, and really respects his listeners / readers. I find this discourse inspiring and truly touching. it’s always a tiny dose of what I need to hear.
Looking for more Nick Cave? He has a 24-hour-a-day YouTube channel, Bad Seed TeeVee, with lots of videos and live footage. And this year, he released two double CD’s, Ghosteen and the live Idiot Prayer.
My top ten albums of 2020:
Eric Ott (Eastern Sleds)
TV:
The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography (Netflix)
I had no idea about this amazing woman’s photography. She was a Polaroid photographer in Cambridge, MA. This documentary documents her beginnings up until 2015 or so. Interesting friends like Allen Ginsberg, etc. Elsa had such a positive vibe. Really well done doc.
Music:
Waxahatchee Saint Cloud (Merge Records)
I guess the running theme here is trying to feel better in this complex overcast world. This LP just takes me to a warm place. Fantastic songs, tones and production.
Art:
Richard Hamilton (He designed the Beatles White album)
I have been researching and playing around with photomontage, still and animated. There are no rules really.
Audrey Ryan
Show: Mrs. America (Hulu). In a one season series you can educate yourself on the women’s movement of the 1970’s and finally learn what it means to be an original feminist. For those of us aware of Gloria Steinem but not much else this is the education we missed in the history books. The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) you say? Sure, sounds like something that should have happened along with the Civil Rights movement, but did it? You may never have heard of Phyllis Schlafly (played by Cate Blanchett) but once you watch this show you will never forget her, not to mention be haunted by the ghosts of the religious homemaker Republican women she indoctrinated (and whom likely elected Trump…). While we still struggle with a woman’s place in American politics today this series brings to light how much women before us have fought for our basic rights and how far we’ve come since the 70’s even if it never feels like nearly far enough.
by Dylan Metrano
Little Richard is sitting in the hotel room he’s called home for several years. It’s an ordinary room. Could be anywhere. His piano is at his brother’s. His dog is at his sister’s. Most of his possessions, his history, his glory- it’s all scattered throughout storage units between here and Georgia.
He’s been up since six, watching evangelists on a muted TV. Little Richard hasn’t left this room in a week. He’s nearing seventy, but still feels like a young man. His assistant Mark makes his meals, helps with his business affairs, keeps him company. Mark once played in the band, but now he’s Little Richard’s right-hand man. He makes everything a little easier.
With one eye on Billy Graham or Oral Roberts or some other whatshisname, and one eye on a palm tree outside stretching toward the sun, Little Richard calls to Mark:
“Mark, today is a glorious day.”
“Indeed it is, Sir.”
“We should take a little trip.”
And thus begins the process that occurs every time Little Richard leaves this room. Mark takes a deep breath, and gets a case from the closet. Little Richard is a king among men. It’s important that he look impeccable. People expect him to look impeccable. He always gives everything he has- because he can. His talent comes straight from God. It’s his responsibility to share his gift with the world.
So first, the hair. Sides cut short. Brushed back above the ears. Longer in the back. A pile of pomade-waves atop the crown. The hair adds six inches to his 5’10”. Cuban-heeled shoes add another six .
In the mirror, he applies his pencil-thin mustache with a pencil-thin pencil.
He sings to himself as he applies foundation, highlights, eyeliner. A little rouge. An hour passes. The face in the mirror looks familiar again. He looks like Little Richard.
Mark lays out the suit, bright white covered with rhinestone pins – saxophones, martini glasses, cameras, a G-Clef, and a pistol for good measure. Little Richard gets dressed as Mark pulls the limousine around. Little Richard grabs a pair of sunglasses from atop the television, and waits for Mark to escort him to the waiting car.
It’s after noon, and Little Richard was feeling hungry.
“Little Richard is feeling hungry.”
Mark knows that there are only a few drive-throughs in L.A. that a stretch limousine can fit through, and Little Richard is, of course, a man of very particular tastes, so he makes a quick calculation and they head to In and Out Burger. Mark orders two burgers (animal-style), two vanilla shakes, and French fries. Little Richard pecks at the food in the back while Mark steers towards their destination.
As they turn onto Wilcox, Little Richard wipes his mouth with a wet-nap, gives his lips a last minute touch-up, and they double-park, blocking in three identical grey cars.
Mark, also dressed in white, albeit without the flair of his boss, exits the limousine, and walks around to the passenger side. He scans the street, and opens the door. For a moment, everything is still. Then Little Richard leaps out of the car, like a man half his age. Matching his boss’s stride, they ascend the stairs of the Hollywood Post Office.
Inside, a small herd of tired-looking people is queued around a velvet rope. Mark opens the front door, and they step into the lobby. No one looks in their direction. Little Richard takes a breath, and then with his one-of-a-kind firecracker of a voice, he hollers “Hello, everybody! Little Richard’s here to get his mail!”.
He sashays to the front of the line where Dottie, his favorite clerk, blushes a little and gives him a gigantic smile.
“Why, hello! It’s been far too long since you’ve last stopped in. And don’t you look terrific? Let’s see what we’ve got for you.”
Little Richard looks over his shoulder at all the people in line behind him, He can see their eyes widen and smiles wash over them. He feels blessed that he’s able to bring a tiny unexpected moment of joy to all these beautiful people, people who would take this story back to their offices and dinner tables.
Mark puts a small pile of envelopes and magazines into his satchel, and they turn toward the door. Little Richard pauses for a moment and then says to the seventeen people in the room, “I’d like to wish for each and every one of you a splendid day. God bless you all.” Then, winking at a young mother with a stroller, he pirouettes, lets out a little “WOOOO!!!” and disappears out the front door.
Little Richard can hear tiny gasps of delight and a smattering of applause as the door closes behind him. A warm feeling of contentment washes over him, as he climbs back into the old limousine. Mark slips a disc into the car’s CD player. “Tutti Frutti” spills out from inside, as they drive back to their hotel.
In 2019, we released lots of great albums: Sam Carp Select Few (2013-2018), Pumpkin Mouth‘s Tooth Salad, Sidney Lindner & the Silver Wilderness Collective Summer Ghosts / Nightfalls, Tiger Saw The Featherweight,Mehetable s/t, The Orchards Sing Birds, In Your Shrinking Woods, Guy Capecelatro III Feeling of Falling, Boring Songs About Dumb Things by Charlotte Moroz and Guy Capecelatro III.
We hope that you’ll check them out. We asked some of our friends and family for their favorites from 2019 to share with you. Enjoy!
“Expansive, languid and ethereal, Summer Ghosts / Nightfalls is as warm and resonant as the old New Hampshire church in which it was recorded.” – Broadway World
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR FIRST SINGLE, “SWEET BROTHER”
Expansive, languid and ethereal, Summer Ghosts / Nightfalls, the forthcoming full-length from Sidney Lindner & The Silver Wilderness Collective is as warm and resonant as the old New Hampshire church in which it was recorded. Lindner’s slow-motion pop songwriting is elevated by the deft hand with which ornament is applied. Searching strings swell, brass buzzes like a summer meadow, and organ wraps Lindner’s dusty vocals in sonic smoky velvet. No note out of place, the record’s soft-focus synthesis of indie Americana and folk will slow the world around you, offering a welcome respite from the onslaught of contemporary reality.
The Silver Wilderness Collective is the most recent project assembled by veteran songwriter Linder. Following the dissolution of the band Torrez (which he co-founded), Lindner released three albums between 2004 and 2013 under the name The Hotel Alexis. Holy Brother of the Mountain Sun came out in 2011 under his given name. Now, with Summer Ghosts / Nightfalls, Lindner finds inspiration in the unreleased 2002 album he recorded with his late brother Cayce.
Initially conceived as a full collaboration, as the duo began to demo material, the focus shifted to documenting Lindner’s songs, with Yorgensen producing. Soon enough the pews were cleared, a full studio’s worth of gear was hauled up from Connecticut, a piano was located, and word was put to the wire that this project was about to go wheels up. “I am lucky enough to know some incredibly talented people” says Lindner. In the end, in addition to Lindner on guitar and vocals and Yorgensen on guitar, piano, organ, and synth, Chris Decato (guitar, bass, piano, organs, percussion, harmonica, synthesizer), Gregg Porter (drums, percussion), Guy Capecelatro III (bass, guitar), Clara Kebabian (viola and violin), Jim Rioux (drums), and Karen Elizabeth (vocals) convened to bring Lindner’s vision to fruition.
Sidney Lindner & The Silver Wilderness Collective will be playing at the Press Room in Portsmouth, NH w/ Eastern Sleds.
SAT, OCT 5 @ 9:00 PM
Doors at 8pm | Show at 9pm | 21+
$7 Advanced | $10 Day of Show
More Info. Here
Tickets Here
burst & bloom records 