favorite albums of 2020 / December 13, 2020 by Jeffrey Berkowitz

Here are some of my favorite albums of 2020, in no particular order. So much great music came out this year, but of course there was no opportunity to see live music, which always influences the list; the experience of hearing a live version of the songs often increases my fondness for an album or possibly, at the other extreme, destroy it.

Ana Roxanne : Because of a Flower [Kranky]

Emily A. Sprague : Hill, Flower, Fog [self-released / RVNG Intl.]

Gia Margaret : Mia Gargaret [Orindal Records]

Green-House : Six Songs For Invisible Gardens [Leaving Records]

Natalia Beylis : The Steadfast Starry Universe [Eiderdown Records]

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith : The Music Of Transformation (Ghostly International)

Russell Ellington Langston Butler : A Talisman to Ward Off Dysphoria [self-released]

Ulla : Tumbling Towards a Wall [Experiences Ltd.]

Sarah Davachi : Five Cadences [self-released]

Sarah Davachi : Cantus, Descant [Late Music]

Tristan Magnetique : 2 (cw48) [Cosmic Winnetou]

Jennifer Castle : Monarch Season [Paradise of Bachelors]

Josephine Foster : No Harm Done [Fire Records]

Natalie Jane Hill : Azalea [Dear Life Records]

Sam Coomes : True Death [self-released]

Melenas : Dias Raros [Trouble In Mind Records]

Joanne Robertson : Painting Stupid Girls [World Music]

Jonnine : Blue Hills [Boomkat Editions | Documenting Sound]

Diane Cluck : Common Wealth [self-released / Bone & Boom Publishing]

Kath Bloom : Bye Bye These Are the Days [Dear Life Records]

Jean-Marie Mercimek : La Flourenn En Mars [Aguirre Records]

Beatriz Ferreyra : Echos + [Room40]

Beatriz Ferreyra: Huellas Entreveradas [Persistence of Sound]

Spires That In the Sunset Rise : Psychic Oscillations [FPE Records]

Keeley Forsyth : Debris [The Leaf Label]

Spivak : Μετά Το Ρέιβ [Ecstatic]

Laila Sakini : Vivienne [Total Stasis]

Lucrecia Dalt : No era sólida [RVNGIntl.]

Leila : Like Weather [Modern Love / Thank U Records] [2020 reissue / 1998]

favorite albums of 2019 / January 1, 2020 by Jeffrey Berkowitz

Below are some of my favorite albums of the year (with links). I didn’t put them in rank order, but maybe something close to. I suppose this list will change, and perhaps get updated as time moves on.

I suggest taking a long drive while the sun sets and listen to RF Shannon’s ‘Rain On Dust;’ the sunset will last twice as long if you do this, I promise. Then, when it is dark, put on Jo Schornikow’s ‘Secret Weapon.’ This album blows me away every time I play it, and gets better with every spin. It is perfect. Play Mega Bog when you want to be transported to another world - one that only exists through Erin Birgy’s music. We are lucky to get a glimpse into her world through her fabulous albums, all. Get into a zone with Ana Roxanne, and stay in a zone while listening to Kali Malone’s epic piece, ‘The Sacrificial Code.’ This music is what we need in these trying times.

I’ve been a fan of Weyes Blood for a long time, but came late to this album, ‘Titanic Rising,’ as I avoided it (don’t know why) for a while. I am starting to understand why it is one everyone’s year end lists. I cannot stop listening to it. And, if there is an album that I am afraid of wearing out it is Friendship’s ‘Dreamin.’ It is on constant repeat, and has not yet revealed everything about itself. And Olden Yolk - they have upped their game in a big way, including their stellar live shows.

I am lucky to have seen a lot of these bands live this year, and meet or even photograph them along the way. The artists I interacted with were all extremely generous, friendly, kind beyond belief. Listening to these artists really makes life worthwhile. I am looking forward to more musical adventures and discovery in 2020.

L-R: Jo Shornikow : Secret Weapon [Keeled Scales]; Mega Bog : Dolphine [Paradise of Bachelors]; Ana Roxanne : ~~~ [Leaving Records]; Kali Malone : The Sacrificial Code [iDEAL Recordings]

L-R: Friendship : Dreamin’ [Orindal]; Shannon Lay : August [Sub Pop]; RF Shannon : Rain On Dust [Keeled Scales]; Aldous Harding : Designer [4AD]

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L-R: Olden Yolk : Living Theatre [Trouble In Mind]; Ulla Straus : Big Room [Quiet Time]; Shana Cleveland : Night Of The Worm Moon [Hardly Art]; Weyes Blood : Titanic Rising [Sub Pop]

L-R: Florist : Emily Alone [Double Double Whammy]; Daughter of Swords : Dawnbreaker [Nonesuch]; Molly Sarlé : Karaoke Angel [Partisan]; Jessica Pratt : Quiet Signs [Mexican Summer]

L-R: Cate Le Bon : Reward [Mexican Summer]; Angel Bat Dawid : The Oracle [International Anthem]; Nivhek : After its own death / Walking in a spiral towards the house [Yellow Electric]; Erin Durant : Islands [Keeled Scales]

L-R: Marja Ahti : Vegetal Negatives [Hallow Ground]; Félicia Atkinson : The Flower And The Vessel [Shelter Press]; Ka Baird : Respires [RVNG Intl.]; Jessica Ekomane : Multivocal [IMPREC]

L-R: Sarah Davachi : Pale Bloom [Superior Viaduct]; Gauche : A People’s History of Gauche [Merge]; Empath : Active Listening: Night on Earth [Get Better]; Hand Habits : Placeholder [Saddle Creek]

Joseph Shabason : Anne, EP [Western Vinyl]

heron oblivion / fursaxa / January 26, 2019 by Jeffrey Berkowitz

It happens but rarely, while watching a band perform, a portal opens up. You don’t even realize it, this invisible shift. You are transported to another place, another era. The cars outside the window lack a design sense…they are all function; they are undateable. Same goes for the storefronts outside the window, the parking meters, the El passing overhead… The people are there as witnesses, not as representatives of a clique or style. You exist in a timeless space. All that matters is the music; you feel as if you are seeing something important. Pay attention - you do not want to miss this, it is special. It transcends.

Photos taken December 7, 2018 at Jerry’s On Front, Philadelphia, PA

all photos (c) JEFFSPER • photography by jeffrey berkowitz

favorite albums of 2018 / December 21, 2018 by Jeffrey Berkowitz

There is never enough music / There is too much music. Both statements are completely true.

By the time you finish reading this, the list will have changed. A good rule of thumb would be for me to post my “best of” list two years after year end. This would, at least, allow some distance - time during which I could discover what will inevitably become some of my “favorites” of 2018. Conversely, some of these titles will fall off the list as well. Others will be enduring classics that shine forever. I suspect Jennifer Castle’s ‘Angels Of Death’ will be one of the latter.

I look at this process (of creating year-end lists) as a “snapshot in time,” much like photography. Something else happens before and after…and perhaps what appears to be happening in the snapshot wasn’t really happening at all.

I want to thank all of the bands that let me photograph them in 2018. I witnessed so many incredible shows this year. I met (and photographed) some of my favorite musicians - and all of them were incredibly giving, generous with their time, extremely kind. Some of them went above and beyond for me - for that I am grateful. In a lot of cases incredible labels and kind management helped to allow me access.

Please see the links below and support the artists, they are all amazing; buy their music, see them live, visit the merch tables, listen closely…

In no particular order:

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Lilac Everything; A Project by Emma Louise - Album Art.jpg

L-R: Jennifer Castle : Angels of Death [Paradise Of Bachelors]; Buck Meek : Buck Meek [Keeled Scales]; Sam Evian : You, Forever [Saddle Creek]; Molly Burch : First Flower [Captured Tracks]

Mothers : Render Another Ugly Method [ANTI-]; Josephine Foster : Faithful Fairy Harmony [Fire Records]; Miranda Winters : Xobeci, What Grows Here [Sooper]; The Breeders : All Nerve [4AD]

Anna St. Louis : If Only There Were a River [Woodsist]; Marlon Williams : Make Way For Love [Dead Oceans], Haley Heynderickx : I Need To Start A Garden [Mama Bird Recording Co.]; Emma Louise : Lilac Everything [Liberation / AWAL]

Faustina Masigat : Faustina Masigat [Mama Bird Recording Co.]; Jessica Risker : I See You Among The Stars [Western Vinyl]; Renata Zeiguer : Old Ghost [Northern Spy]; Jess Williamson : Cosmic Wink [Mexican Summer]

Empath : Liberating Guilt And Fear [Get Better Records]; Palberta : Roach Goin’ Down [Wharf Cat]; Neurotic Fiction : Pulp Music [Specialist Subject Records]; Pill : Soft Hell [Mexican Summer]

Natalie Prass : The Future And The Past [ATO]; Boygenius : Boygenius [Matador]; Gwenifer Raymond : You Never Were Much Of A Dancer [Tompkins Square]; Sun June : Years [Keeled Scales]

Cornellia Murr : Lake Tear Of The Clouds [Autumn Tone Records]; Juanita Stein : Until The Lights Fade [Nude Records]

Kali Malone : Organ Dirges 2016 - 2017 [Ascetic House]; Sarah Davachi : Gave In Rest [Ba Da Bing Records]; Sarah Davachi : Let Night Come On Bells End The Day [Recital Program]; Caterina Barbieri : Born Again In The Voltage [Important Records]

E Ruscha V : Who Are You [Beats In Space]; Emily A. Sprague : Mount Vision [self-released]; Red Brut : Red Brut [KRAAK]; Louise Bock : Repetitives In Illocality [Feeding Tube Records]

Laurel Halo : Raw Silk Uncut Wood [Latency]; Yialmelic Frequencies : Yililok [Leaving Records]; Félicia Atkinson / Jefre Cantu-Ledesma : Limpid As The Solitudes [Shelter Press]; SUSS : Ghost Box [Northern Spy]

Body/Head : The Switch [Matador]; Grouper : Grid Of Points [Kranky]; Lucy Railton : Paradise 94 [Modern Love]; Lucrecia Dalt : Anticlines [RVNG Intl.]

Lori Scacco : Desire Loop [Mysteries Of The Deep]; Julia Holter : Aviary [Domino]

the national / October 10, 2018 by Jeffrey Berkowitz

The National never disappoint.

<<flashback>> I first saw them on tour in support of Alligator (2005). I didn’t know anything about them at that point, and had only listened to the album a few times. I dragged my wife along. This is a scenario that sometimes turns out great, but sometimes fails miserably. For instance - there are times I will get the “I will be somewhere in the back for the rest of the show” statement three songs into the opening act. When the show ends I will ask what she thought…and she has, on occasion, casually replied “oh, I was asleep the entire time.” I can assure you this was not the case with The National. We were leaning up against the stage dodging potential kicks in the head from Matt Berninger (nothing malicious, mind you, just frontman enthusiasm) bouncing up and down with an enthusiastic crowd. After I purchased my tickets the venue was changed (to the chagrin of ticket holders) due to the show selling out so quickly. This was the beginning, I suppose, of The National becoming a bigger band…the road to playing higher capacity audiences. We were both floored. My wife enjoyed the show more than I did (as I am prone to panic attacks and had one throughout the concert, fearing that the floor of this multi-level building would collapse) and she called me two days later, at work, and announced “I got us tickets to see The Clogs at Lincoln Center!” I am pretty sure my wife and I know every word of Alligator by heart, and it remains a heavy rotation family-favorite to this day. We follow their side projects and shoot off e-mails every time we hear about a new Dessner-produced album or compilation.

Fast forward to September 27, 2018 at the Mann Center. It is the same National we saw back in 2006…only this time with horns and electronics instead of a fiddle player (?). Same might, same musical prowess, only this time Berninger climbs through the audience, walks on water, or chairs…playing to the crowd, as part of the crowd. I have to admit, I also loved the visual aspect of the show. The stage-set included a large screen with imagery behind the band - think R.E.M.’s Tourfilm, of which every moment is burned into my brain, and you get a similar feel, except instead of images of flowers…you get live footage of the audience projected back at you (see photos)…the audience becomes part of the act, perhaps? I don’t remember so many people knowing all the lyrics to every song when we saw them years ago, however, this is a band who’s first album came out in 2001, and have amassed a loyal following of devotees. What better way to celebrate than a sing-along? “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” closes the show, just as it did when I saw them for the second time (at the Mann Center) in 2010. I got the feeling that everyone leaving the show felt they too could walk on water, having just come off stage, singing for Matt Berninger, who was singing for us.

Photos taken September 27, 2018 at the Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA

all photos (c) JEFFSPER • photography by jeffrey berkowitz

jennifer castle / October 6, 2018 by Jeffrey Berkowitz

In a live setting Jennifer Castle’s songs take on a kind of heft to them - a rock and roll kind of heft that causes them to soar like an eagle, as opposed to the dove-like versions that appear on record. Angels Of Death [Paradise of Bachelors / Idée Fixe Records], which for my money might be the best album of 2018, hits you where it hurts. The lyrics are obviously deeply personal, however, they have an existential universality that doesn’t take away from the strength of the songs but increases it.

“It’s a shame that I thought this river knew my name / It’s a shame that I thought I could move a mountain / And it’s a shame that I thought love was a game worth playing / And it’s a shame that I thought I could win / And it’s a shame that I’m starting again,” she sings on Crying Shame. Who hasn’t felt this way, or thought these thoughts at some point in their lives? But pair these incredible lyrics with a voice that rises up to a level that brings to mind Emmylou Harris or Dolly Parton and you know that this album is a classic - one that you will spin until the grooves wear out.

Live, the songs kick ass. Her band comes complete with two backup singers and incredible musicianship that transforms older songs like “We Always Change” (see her 2008 release You Can’t Take Anyone - filed under Castlemusic) into “country-soul” rockers.

It’s almost unfair that someone can write such great songs, and play guitar, and sing with a voice that sounds like this…but…it is what we are searching for every time we browse the bins.

Photos taken September 8, 2018 at Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY.

all photos (c) JEFFSPER • photography by jeffrey berkowitz

buck meek / June 26, 2018 by Jeffrey Berkowitz

buck meek's self-titled album is out on keeled scales

find it on bandcamp here: buck meek

Thanks to the fine people at Keeled Scales, singer/songwriter/guitarist Buck Meek met me outside of Johnny Brenda's for a quick photo shoot before his set (supporting Sam Evian). He truly couldn't have been friendlier, or more giving. My wife, Merin, conversed with him while I took photographs. It was exciting for both of us because we have been huge fans of Big Thief since we saw them open for Eleanor Friedberger at Milkboy in February of 2016. It wasn't until I saw Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek (billed as "Adrianne and Buck") open for Michael Hurley (Snock!), in April of 2017, that I started digging into their solo stuff. Pretty soon Heart Was Beat was all I could listen to. Five perfect songs that demand repeat listening. His new album is just as addictive.

Photos taken June 16, 2018