SK – this reminds me of that group that had the hit with the banjo’s recently. I can’t think of their name at all because I never really listened to them. (Mumford & Sons) with the help of Ai.
Do like the voice. overall a good listen
JLH- You can never go wrong with the blues. NEVER!!
Shred Kelly – The Bear
I like parts of this track. The crisp, clear piano & the overall feel. Banjo is a nice touch. But I can’t say that it grabs me. Maybe a little too familiar? Good. (Maybe if I was in a different mood.)
John Lee Hooker – Groundhog Blues
I don’t get enough JLH in my musical feed. I like the idea of the groundhog watching him go through his daily routine. I can’t support the killing of said groundhog – even if dirty. Of course he could be, probably is, calling the man with whom his lady is cheating on him with that and my worries are moot. Just watching for him to leave. Even still, don’t like the killin’, but love the song – Mmmm.
“The Bear”/Shred Kelly. The assertive opening piano figure and percussion fusillade had me thinking Arcade Fire. I like her voice and the banjo solo was a pleasant surprise (though foreshadowed in the vid: Chekhov’s banjo). A highly overdriven guitar is nicely understated in the pre-chorus and chorus. As a rumination on a challenging but worthwhile relationship it is a nice song. I have to imagine “Shred Kelly” is a play on “Ned Kelly” (legendary Aussie outlaw), though from the available evidence I would not characterize these guys as either shredders or outlaws.
Shred- I liked this little piano riff the first time I heard it. Unfortunately, I found that its repetition and variants really grated on me by the end of the song. Even though they nestled it lower in the mix as the song progressed, it became an earworm that I could not vanquish. I also found the vocals not pleasantly produced, and a little grating as well, except for the background vocals at the end. I generally enjoy a little banjo in my pop, though the banjo solo was more like a sonic blur. I guess I felt like with this song, less would have been more.
Groundhog Blues- Speaking of less is more, here is the gritty, unpolished beauty of JLH. I love that you can hear his foot tapping and all of the time. The quality of his voice is so clear and textural (contrasted with the previous selection). You can hear the unequivocal, direct line from Robert Johnson to him.
I used to have two groundhogs that rummaged around in my backyard. They’ve since moved on now that two rather large German Shepherds patrol my neighbor’s yard, looking very fierce but probably being quite friendly.
Other fauna? We now have a family of hawks living high in the large oak trees along the fence line, making quite a racket (perhaps it’s mating season). I love it.
The groundhogs and the hawks bring me much joy—no blues at all. This song brought me joy as well. I think I may know the gentleman who recommended it.
SK – this reminds me of that group that had the hit with the banjo’s recently. I can’t think of their name at all because I never really listened to them. (Mumford & Sons) with the help of Ai.
Do like the voice. overall a good listen
JLH- You can never go wrong with the blues. NEVER!!
Shred Kelly – The Bear
I like parts of this track. The crisp, clear piano & the overall feel. Banjo is a nice touch. But I can’t say that it grabs me. Maybe a little too familiar? Good. (Maybe if I was in a different mood.)
John Lee Hooker – Groundhog Blues
I don’t get enough JLH in my musical feed. I like the idea of the groundhog watching him go through his daily routine. I can’t support the killing of said groundhog – even if dirty. Of course he could be, probably is, calling the man with whom his lady is cheating on him with that and my worries are moot. Just watching for him to leave. Even still, don’t like the killin’, but love the song – Mmmm.
“The Bear”/Shred Kelly. The assertive opening piano figure and percussion fusillade had me thinking Arcade Fire. I like her voice and the banjo solo was a pleasant surprise (though foreshadowed in the vid: Chekhov’s banjo). A highly overdriven guitar is nicely understated in the pre-chorus and chorus. As a rumination on a challenging but worthwhile relationship it is a nice song. I have to imagine “Shred Kelly” is a play on “Ned Kelly” (legendary Aussie outlaw), though from the available evidence I would not characterize these guys as either shredders or outlaws.
Shred- I liked this little piano riff the first time I heard it. Unfortunately, I found that its repetition and variants really grated on me by the end of the song. Even though they nestled it lower in the mix as the song progressed, it became an earworm that I could not vanquish. I also found the vocals not pleasantly produced, and a little grating as well, except for the background vocals at the end. I generally enjoy a little banjo in my pop, though the banjo solo was more like a sonic blur. I guess I felt like with this song, less would have been more.
Groundhog Blues- Speaking of less is more, here is the gritty, unpolished beauty of JLH. I love that you can hear his foot tapping and all of the time. The quality of his voice is so clear and textural (contrasted with the previous selection). You can hear the unequivocal, direct line from Robert Johnson to him.
“Groundhog Blues” by John Lee Hooker
I used to have two groundhogs that rummaged around in my backyard. They’ve since moved on now that two rather large German Shepherds patrol my neighbor’s yard, looking very fierce but probably being quite friendly.
Other fauna? We now have a family of hawks living high in the large oak trees along the fence line, making quite a racket (perhaps it’s mating season). I love it.
The groundhogs and the hawks bring me much joy—no blues at all. This song brought me joy as well. I think I may know the gentleman who recommended it.