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Week Ending:
4 January 2025

Goodbye 2024! Hello 2025!

2024 had some great unexpected releases by bands both old and new to TheBigBlack. The Top 10 for the year can be found here.

2025 will hopefully be similar, so I am connecting a great new feature to show my Last.FM Listening History. Now you can see what I am listening to any time. This will be included in all future newsletters, and can be found below.

One other small change. In order to make Newsletters easier to read I have hidden any section that has no new data for the week.

TheBigBlack's Last.FM Listening History

Select the stats you want to view from the drop-lists.

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Album Of The Week

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TheBigBlack

Luck And Strange

David Gilmour - Luck And Strange (2024)

[Rock]

David Gilmour as a musician needs no introduction. Guitarist for Pink Floyd and with an equally impressive solo collection, he is revered worldwide for his talents on guitar, and the 'feel' he and his instrument give to his music. He plays the guitar like no other, but oddly this album is mostly void of that instantly recognisable six-string charm. Opening with the short and moody 'Black Cat', the listener is introduced to the style and pace of the next 45 minutes. The title track follows, and locks into a Pink Floyd bass groove reminiscent of the late 70s. Gilmour's voice is aged and raged, but comfy like slipping on an old pair of shoes. When the chorus breaks it feels like you have been here before, and not because it is repeating anything he has done before - but because his tones (both vocal and guitar) invite you into its welcoming arms like an old friend. Gilmour pushes himself vocally on this album, probably more so than ever before, but it is possibly due to his age that some notes just can't be hit. Some listeners may feel like it adds authenticity, whereas others may just think he is trying too hard. Lead single 'The Piper's Call' certainly doesn't have this issue, and stands as one of the standout tracks of the album. It drips through the speakers like honey from a spoon, so smooth it is almost unbearable until it breaks into another of those great grooves, leading to possibly the best soloing of the entire album. 'A Single Spark' is a mellow affair, that is quaint enough to listen to - but brings nothing new to the repertoire or legacy. 'Vita Brevis' brings a nice harmonic interlude, but at this point it becomes clear that this is a moody album, and mostly crawls rather than walks. It leaves the listener with a touch of tempo fatigue by the mid-point, and as 'Between Two Points' (featuring his daughter Romany on vocals, and a cover of a track by The Montgolfier Brothers) begins, it is clear the old rocker has reached a point where he rocks more in a chair on the porch than on the guitar. Nearing his 80th year, he is content to make music that is mellow and with moods that can't quite be grasped. Music that is both of now and completely timeless. Music that is completely Gilmour-esque whilst also being of a different artist entirely. In fact, it isn't until that distinct soloing style breaks through on songs like this one, that you even know who is playing. This is probably intentional on Gilmour's part, possibly wanting to prove he is more than just a guy with a magical Stratocaster. At song 7, 'Dark And Velvet Nights', the pace picks up for the first time, and whilst it still at a speed for those approaching their final years, it carries some of the punch fans are waiting to hear. It would have better served the album to place it further up front. The album closes with over 7 minutes of 'Scattered', a progressive ballad with a piano freak out and sublime acoustic piece into a classic electric solo, but for the first time in his long career it feels like Gilmour may have just been repeating his best solos of the past. It still gives chills, but sounds just a little too familiar. Luck And Strange is by no means a bad album, but it is certainly an album that only lends itself to a certain mood, and perhaps that is exactly what Gilmour was looking for. An album he could enjoying in his later years. An album made for him and no one else, and if we should happen to enjoy it - then so be it. He's earnt the right to do that.

mindkiller8

New Detention

Grinspoon - New Detention (2002)

[Alternative Rock]

Third release from the band from Lismore who hit stardom thanks to the JJJ Unearthed initiative. Thank God this existed at the time these guys were cutting their chops. Now arguably considered one of the modern Oz music scenes greats. Their first 2 releases along with the E.P.'s were very mature for their age but mindful of the topics they chose to write songs about. I'd argue that this 3rd release was their coming of age. You can tell from the short intro, followed by 'Anyday Anyhow'. It could put the die-hard fan off slightly, but if you wait until the next song 'Lost Control', they aren't turning into posers any time soon, putting a smile on the die-hards. It had been a long time since I listened to this release so it was almost like hearing it for the first time and wow - just wow. I challenge you to find a filler. Even with the likes of 'Chemical Heart' - a tuned down ballad which shows the bands maturity and possibly confidence in their craft to put this on a release. The final track 'Hate' is equally bold way to complete the record. The remainder of the record is a catchy as hell providing numerous opportunities to enact your neck muscles and perhaps your vocals. All tracks within the 3-4 minutes in length as has become familiar for the Grinners. If on first listen it seems at odds, listen again, and again. It'll hook you in and as I say, one of their best in their catalogue on long-players over their career.

Core Discographies: New Additions

These are new releases available in the Core Discographies this week.

Core Discographies Links: New Additions | New Releases | Coming Soon | Themes

Remember, Core Discographies accepts Requests. Click HERE to request your favourite album to be included.

Click on any links below to see release details.

MP3

FLAC

Bush
Loaded, The Greatest Hits (1994-2023)

[Compilation Album]
10 Nove,ber 2023
Post-Grunge Rock

'Loaded, The Greatest Hits (1994-2023)' is a compilation album by Bush. It features singles from Bush's nine studio albums released up the that point, from their debut Sixteen Stone (1994) to The Art Of Survival (2023), a new song 'Nowhere To Go But Everywhere'.

MP3

FLAC

Black Label Society
Shot To Hell

[Album]
12 September 2006
Heavy Metal

'Shot To Hell' is the seventh studio album by Black Label Society. It was the band's first release on Roadrunner Records.

MP3

FLAC

Alice Cooper
Mascara & Monsters, The Best Of

[Compilation Album]
16 January 2001
Classic Rock

'Mascara & Monsters, The Best Of' is a compilation album by Alice Cooper. The album cover features Cooper in the mid-1970s looking at his mascara-eyed monstrous alter-ego.