Secret History 1981: Shelter from the Storm

Super Secret, Secret History:

Despite the awful events of the prior year, this may be my personal favorite musical year. (Okay, maybe 1967 was better.) It was when I met Mrs. Jaybee, so there was a kind of magic in the air. 

And the music was good, too.  Maybe even better, because of that magic.

So I'll depart momentarily from my usual method of just listing music released in 1981 to convey what else was in the air.

Always trying to impress people with music, I wanted to play stuff the future Mrs. Jaybee would like.

And of course, I'd take to real romantic places like J&R Music World.

Probably the first song I ever played for her was “I Love You” (talk about moving fast!) by the Steve Miller Band. I'd had Anthology for several years already but every few months I'd have the urge to put it on. And there was really no better time than now.

Then I calmed down and played the avalanche of music that I'd acquired recently: 

• Elvis Costello: Trust, Get Happy, Taking Liberties
• Eno - Another Green World, Before and After Science
• David Bowie - Low and Heroes
• And many, many others

And just as George Michael asked of us, she listened without prejudice. Otherwise, things could've ended right there. She would eventually draw the line at Pere Ubu and Captain Beefheart but I came out way ahead on the deal. In so many ways.

Plain Ol' Secret History:

But all that came later. Now I'll get back to my usual method. I'd be lying if I pretended my take on the music wasn't colored by the magic of that year.

Elvis Costello: Trust

With its effortless tunes, most varied arrangements, and great production, this may be his best record.

And this after the previous year's Get Happy (20 songs) and Taking Liberties (20 songs)! The man is a machine!

A

"White Knuckles"

The Psychedelic Furs Talk Talk Talk

Their second, and even better than their first.

This is my idea of great hard rock, with the original and far more powerful "Pretty in Pink". And lots more where that came from.

A 

"No Tears"

X: Wild Gift

Don't let the cramped sound get you down. This is one of the all-time great punk rock records. And an American one at that. Quite the relief after all those Brits.

Led by then couple John Doe (vocals and bass) and Exene Cervenka (vocals) who, in a very strange way, remind me of Paul Kantner and Grace Slick on the Airplane's live stuff.

And they are TIGHT. With actual musical ability, Billy Zoom (guitar, of course!) and DJ Bonebrake (whaddaya think?) make it go, and it GOES!

Discovered and produced by Ray Manzarek (whose organ sorta marred their first record) they avoid that mistake but nonetheless end with the words:

We're waiting for the sun,

For any sun to come.

A

"White Girl"

The English Beat’s - Wha'ppen?

Not as catchy as the relentless I Just Can’t Stop It, but it’s a real grower. It trades forward motion in for texture, as though it's intending to give you time to think after you've done all that dancing.

A

"Get a Job"

David Byrne: The Catherine Wheel

Before Twyla Tharp choreographed Billy Joel, she collaborated with David Byrne, who wrote and performed all new songs and instrumentals, with contributions from Brian Eno, Bernie Worrell, and others.

Never one for/to dance, I didn't see the show and don't care. It’s not as bracing as Talking Heads and not quite as heady as great Eno, but it’s the sweet spot between them. 

A

"Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open)"

Tom Verlaine’s Dreamtime

The former guiding light of Television, Verlaine makes another album filled with furious but beautiful guitar sounds. He'd done it with his first solo record, but now erases any remaining doubts by singing - never his strong suit - less.

A-

"There's A Reason"

Yoko Ono’s Season of Glass

Yep, her.

The Beatle-killer's been making music for a long time – longer than the Beatles, actually.  The early stuff was - as you’d expect - "experimental".  But she got more pop as she went along.

I was torn about including this because I still don't know what to make of her as a human. There are just too many... stories.

But there are some excellent songs here, and I will pay this possible devil her due.

A-

"Nobody Sees Me Like You Do"

A Summer for Old Men

Having been less than overwhelmed by the amount of joyful summer music, and quite underwhelmed by a series of "summer reading" novels that were work to get through (Pathfinder, Possession and Green Mars, I'm looking at you), I was willing to entertain music I would normally have postponed until winter.

And was delighted.

Max Richter: The Blue Notebooks (2004)

You may know Max (Mrs. Jaybee and I met him so I feel I'm on a first-name basis with him) for putting his musical stamp on The Leftovers and any number of films. Mrs. Jaybee and I saw him play a number of those pieces live, and took the occasion to get Infra, which he had showcased that evening. It holds up remarkably well on CD, and is one of my favorite CDs of the last decade.

He works foremost with violins and keyboard, adding in various sound and vocal effects along the way. At the show, the house was full of couples holding hands for what is essentially classical music. Now that is no mean feat. 

My favorite Max piece is - of course - "On the Nature of Daylight" which originated on this album (and pops up in Shutter Island). The good news is that almost all of the other cuts strive for a similar intensity of feeling. Almost all succeed.

Either Max has got quite the scam going (the James Taylor of classical music??) or he's found a way to be both experimental and emotional simultaneously. 

I'm glad he's around.

A-

"On the Nature of Daylight"

Thelonious Monk: Monk's Dream (1962)

I've got at least a dozen Monk records now. And a perusal of the titles on this one tells me there's only one composition here that's new to me.

T has a habit of re-recording his compositions, which means I must have at least five to ten versions of most of his songs. You'd think that would be a problem. 

And yet, this one is one of my favorites. The band is on it, as is Monk himself. I can't even say they are the best musicians he's ever had. But they may be the most sympathetic.

Everything here has got that extra added oomph to make you sit up and notice.

A pleasure from beginning to end.

I dream one day of burning all his CDs in order to make a playlist sorted by title. (Eight versions in a row of "Bolivar Blues" anyone?) I might not play it around Mrs. Jaybee though. She tends to notice things like that.

A

All this may encourage me to explore, say, surf music. 

In January maybe?

Secret History - 1980, or I've Got Some Good News and Some Bad News

Now:

Although I got a lot out of my system last time, I'm still stuck between Luciano Pavarotti, the Drive-By Truckers, Dvorak, Lou F*cking Reed, and Sonic Youth. They go together surprisingly well, but because I kept bouncing back and forth between them, I didn't quite connect with any of them.

So, what to do when faced with such musical constipation? Well, the doctors say don't force it. So while we're waiting why not look back?

Greek Chorus: Oh Jesus, another World History Project post? What is it this time, Jaybee? Music by Dinosaurs?

Well, one dinosaur, but it's just the newest Secret History. This is when I look at a year in the past (as opposed to the future, which is much harder) and try to identify some great records released that year that flew under people's radar. This is a different approach than my usual one, which is to write about records when I'm hearing them for the first time, no matter when released.  But don't worry! I will try to make it about me somehow.

Then:

The last Secret History I did was for 1979, which I posted in May of 2018. I paused there because - get this: I thought I was going at too fast a pace. The lesson here, of course, is that I don't procrastinate enough.

I also was hesitant to proceed because it was such a weird year. Great in some ways. Awful in others. Here are some, good to bad, more or less:

1. I became "single" again.
2. I got a new job.
3. I got really into Neil Young.
4. I got my first Clash record.
5. I heard a tremendous amount of good current music.
6. I had a fantastic record store trip, which - after the small steps I took in 1978 and 1979 - was my first major foray into punk/new wave/alternative whatever you want to call it with my first Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry, David Bowie records.
7. Me and Roommate Mike hosted a couple of Swedish hitchhikers who shared a lot of our musical tastes. We hung with them, me taking sick-day here and there. Ah, youth!
8. After a long "uneventful" summer, realized that being single wasn't all that great.
9. We got a new president
10. John Lennon got shot

A couple of notes:

• Nine and ten are kind of a tie. Lennon's death was a reminder that - if you didn't know already - the sixties were quite literally dead. St. Ronnie came in to rein in the "excesses" of the seventies, making things immeasurably worse in the process. The seventies were certainly messy, but they were vibrant, too. 
• I cheated a bit. I found a new girl, but that came at the end, chronologically.

Musically, 1980 strikes me as an "obvious" year. In other words, there were certain major records released then that we can all agree are well, major. London Calling, Remain in Light, and The River all come to mind. And to my misanthropic ears, each is ever so slightly overrated. But it's okay. Things could have been - and would be - much worse.

So here are the ones that matter to me:

The Specials: The Specials

This actually came out in 1979, but I somehow missed that. So I'm cheating to make up for it.

It is, however, one of the best ska revival albums out there. Very spare, almost spectral arrangements. A nice piercing guitar, though.

Gotten in '90 when we were moving from an apartment into our first house. It reminds me of pulling up old carpeting. At the time I thought it was one of the great albums ever, but I was covered in dust at the time.

Highly recommended, nonetheless.

A-

"Little Bitch"

Elvis Costello: Get Happy

I got this in early '81 while getting to know that new girl, so it's got all kinds of romantic memories attached to it that have nothing to do with the music itself.

You know how Elton John kept pumping out albums in the seventies, not all of which were great?

Well, Elvis 2.0, cranked out dozens and dozens of songs from 1980 - 82, twenty of which he put here - not all of which were great. So it's quantity over quality, but a lot of quality anyway. "King Horse", "New Amsterdam", and "Clown Time Is Over" are classics. A bunch more are not far behind. A few are negligible but you'd hardly notice.

Just like Elton.

And for some very odd reason, I play "Side Two" first.

A-

"New Amsterdam"

Pete Townsend: Empty Glass

Gotten in the summer of '80 after the recommendation of our new Swedish friends. We had agreed on Exile on Mainstreet, after all.

By this time I should have been done with this classic rock dinosaur, but Pete really brings it on this record. A bit overdone, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

And he gave me some lyrics to raise my spirits, whose default setting is depressed:

Don't worry smile and dance

You just can't work life out

Don't let down moods entrance you

Take the wine and shout

A-

"Broken Glass"

The Psychedelic Furs: The Psychedelic Furs

Gotten maybe in the mid-80s, after having already gotten their second one - one of the great hard rock albums of that decade.  This one is almost as good.

Richard Butler snarls Johnny Rotten-ish-ly but the band eases off the gas pedal more than the Sex Pistols - who would proceed to drive off a cliff - ever would. The Furs were in it for the long haul. And made more good music.

And when Butler snarls, he's not full of shyte.

A-

"We Love You"

Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel

After he left Genesis but before he hit it big, Peter Gabriel put out a few solo records. This one is his third and is generally considered the best before the commercial breakthrough of So.

This one is very serious, and I wish he'd crack a joke occasionally. But "Biko" is so great, all is forgiven.

A-

"Biko"

Crazy Rhythms - The Feelies

Weird, jittery, almost frantic rhythm guitars, resulting in robotic voices because they're trying to keep up. 

But oh so tight.

A-

"Crazy Rhythms"

Albert Hunter: Amtrak Blues

Just a little old lady singing the blues, a piano player, and an audience. 

A joy from start to finish.

A-

"My Handy Man Ain't Handy No More"

Public Image - Second Edition

Also known as Metal Box in England because it came in one there.

Perfect for depression, assuming you want to stay depressed.

I got it in June of '80, but it was so odd, offputting, and flat-out noisy, that I had to put away Johnny Rotten's new band for almost six months. I guess Lennon and Reagan put me in the mood.

Then one cold, dark day, I felt like hearing it. And it hit, hard.  The dub-heavy bass and beats, the most expressive - of horror, that is - electric guitar I have ever heard. And Johnny Rotten proves that he wasn't just a one-trick pony. Of course, he eventually proved to be too clever by one and a half.

The Sex Pistols would hit you over the head but this one gets into it and never leaves.

A

"Poptones"

The English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It 

Maybe the greatest ska revival album. And just like the Specials, two-toned, as they used to say.

So propulsive. So tuneful. And the arrangements are more varied than on the Specials record. And slightly less political, too, which allows the songwriting to be more universal and personal.

A

"Best Friend"

Ahhh, now THAT works better than prune juice. 

No Summer for Old Men

"Heatwave" by Martha and the Vandellas is a real snappy number, but the word itself no longer has the same attraction. It's just too damn oppressive to be very sexy.

The message of "Summer in the City" by the Lovin' Spoonful - maybe the greatest summer song ever - is that despite the heat, it'll be all right.

And "Summer Breeze"? No! Seriously, f*ck its overplayed ass.

It would be nice to still, as we did as youngsters, think of summer as a three-month preview of heaven.  Most of us not living in temperate (meaning, not yet impacted by climate change) areas don't see it as a time to relax, have fun and get a tan. It's a ninety-three-day ordeal of humidity, sirens, explosions we hope are fireworks, and PEOPLE WHO TALK TOO LOUD. (No, not "loudly". LOUD.) And, worst of all, pale old white men in cargo shorts.

So I can't wait for autumn. That dry, cooler (but still sunny) calm idyll, when you have to wear a light jacket, which just happens to hide your gut.

This is all to explain why - aside from hearing these records during the summer, I am hearing these records as being "summer music" in both the best and worst senses. 

Bob Marley and the Wailers: Burnin' (1973)

Why summer music? As I learned on my honeymoon - when I finally got it - reggae goes well with hot weather. It's slow because it's too friggin hot to play (or dance) any faster. 

Lucky for me (if not the planet) I've had more than enough hot sticky summers to catch up.

This one didn't immediately grab me the way Catch a Fire did. This one does have its share of classics but is more laid back. And the production is not as clean or immediate. But once I gave it half a chance the songs rose up to meet my ears. And each one sticks.

I play it a lot in the mornings before the A/C kicks in.

A-

"Get Up, Stand Up"

St. Etienne: Smash the System: Singles and More (2001)

A sort of greatest hits collection by this British trio is largely  - but not exclusively - dance music. It's light, quick, and playful, so, on the surface, it's "fun". Like what summer is supposed to be. But it's also a little sad, like what summer too often is. 

It starts with heresy - a dance version of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - which turns out to be pretty damn good. And then it goes on balancing dance arrangements with good tunes.

It may be too much of a good thing, though. Two filled-to-the-brim CDs add up to two and a half hours of music. It can't help but get a bit repetitive. In other words, a perfect fit for those looooooonng summer afternoons.

B+

"Kiss and Make Up"

Yo La Tengo: Fade (2013)

YLT can rival reggae in its languor. Despite their potential for the guitar freakout so beloved by the younger set, it's downright admirable how often YLT just chills, which as time goes by is more and more beloved by me. 

Their ability to pull off either is reminiscent of the Velvet Underground. And their pinnacle - I Can Hear the Heart Beat as One -  is the perfect balance of both styles.

On this one, they favor the chill. Out of ten songs, there are only two outright rockers. The rest are either folkish or light pop bordering-on-Easy Listening, often sung in a whisper a la "Girl From Impanema".  

Thank god husband and wife team Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley write such simple beautiful songs, and apply the most subtle harmonies to bring out the best of them, that you sometimes can't believe it's an original and not a cover.

So what may at first seem like a deliberate dare for you to dismiss them turns out to be evidence of YLT's great faith in their listeners to stick around. I definitely will. From the midtempo rockish opener to the wistful horns fade out at the very end. 

It's the sound of the end of a good day when the temperature drops a wee bit and there's a hint of a breeze.

A-

"Before We Run"

Japanese Breakfast: Jubilee (2021)

Just a young woman singing her songs, with nary a guitar, bass, or drums in sight (although the pictures indicate otherwise). And not dance music either. Just sweet mid-tempo pop music.

Mrs. Jaybee always guesses this one correctly when I put it on. And sometimes actually requests it! Now that is saying something. 

Short, sweet, and wistful, you fear it might just waft away. In fact, it's so single-mindedly tuneful (if not exactly hooky) that it never does. One after another the songs unfurl, each one as good as the last.

A guitar does poke its head out at the end, in just the right place.

The sound of a now rare great summer day. 

Maybe the young people can save us after all.

A-

"Posing for Cars"

It's Young to Feel Great Again

Around this time of year, I get a little tired of reaching into the past and decide to dip into current music. It's my version of actually going out and interacting with other humans.

Plus, we live in such a positive time, why not immerse myself in it?

But it's really due to my vanity. I would like to feel young at least for a few minutes, and there's nothing like turning on the radio and hearing a great new song to do that. Clearly, that has not happened in some time. The closest I can come to it is putting on a new album that sounds great.

I would thus play it safe and get some pop music. So why I chose this moment to get a punk album I'll never know. Perhaps I thought "punk" no longer meant what it used to? 

Amyl and the Sniffers: Comfort to Me (2022)

Wrong.

In terms of sheer energy, this beats out Dry Cleaning. Amy Taylor's high-pitched-but-not-quite-a-shriek vocals are a perfect complement to the low roar of the guitar. And her Australian accent just adds to the fun. 

Rage is the default emotion in punk, so what's odd here is the repeated use of the word "love". A welcome development! Of course, Amy is demanding that you love her. Still, it proves you can be angry and in love at the same time.

And I found out later Jaybee Son Mike loves it!

As with some other genres (reggae, blues, country, etc.) I only play it when I'm in the mood, like when I'm alone or when we've somehow invited someone over who I hate.

So in the long run I'll probably play Dry Cleaning a little more often.

But then again, I could go through my old address book and look up some old frienemies...

A-

"Hertz"

Wet Leg: Wet Leg (2022)

"Dad, I think you would like this band," sez Jaybee Son Mike, making his second appearance here. 

Whenever I hear this phrase - and I hear it a lot - I think of it as a statement about me rather than the music.  I chafe at the suggestion I'm "predictable". Am I not the "independent spirit marching to the beat of my own drum"? Not with those cargo shorts ads popping up on my Facebook timeline, I'm not.  

So I look them up and the buzz is quite strong. So I gave them a try.

Turns out, Mike was right! It's EXACTLY what I would like. Even Mrs. Jaybee likes it, and she's pretty tough on the young ladies (Editor's note: Don't tell her I said that.)

(Editor's Note: Mrs. Jaybee would like to address the whole "girly voice" question. It is not that they sing that way per se. It is that they don't project. If they've got a good voice, they should use it.)

However, we both agree that the vocals here are less "girly" than quirky, and - critically - the band rocks, adding just the right touch a given song needs, moving several from good to memorable. So it's fun from beginning to end.

Warning: Slight Digression Ahead:

And it edges out Haim, simply because I don't feel obligated to put it on. The Haim record is "excellent" overall, and it deserves its due, but that adjective has never been a good compliment for a rock record. "Excellent" is not "great!", (and, of course, "great!" is not "Great!" which is not "GREAT". You get the idea.)

But in case you don't:

• Not Bad: (B to B+) Weyes Blood or the first Grateful Dead album
• Pretty Good: (B+ to A-) Sharon Van Etten or Her Satanic Majesties Request
• Excellent (A-): Haim or the first Allmans album 
• great! (A- to A) A real pleasure at the moment, but who knows if it will last? Wet Leg or the second live Grateful Dead record. 
• Great! (A) Joy from beginning to end. Township Jazz and Jive, Marshall Crenshaw's first album, and most Beatles, Stones, and Neil Young albums.
• GREAT (A+) The Pantheon, still bringing joy decades later: Abbey Road, Tonight's the Night, Another Green Word, The Who Sell Out, Katy Lied.

End of Digression:

And with (Spoiler Alert!) the final line: I just need a bubble bath to set me on a higher path, this record's "great!". Now let's see if it makes its way to "Great!"

A

"Too Late Now"

World History Project: Two Scoops of Schubert

A Lack of Perspective:

After having tackled Ludwig van Beethoven (hey, that sounds funny, but he did get into a street fight with his brother over money, so...) last year, I figure it's time for another edition of WHP.

I wasn't sure who to dig into next so I started reading about some of the composers who followed after LVB. It turns out there was this guy who actually served as one of his pallbearers. Last name Schubert... 

And it caused a reaction usually reserved for the Susquehanna Hat Company. Why you might ask? Well, after months of intensive therapy, a memory was unearthed.

Sometime after The White Album came out, I read a critic's quote, stating that Lennon and McCartney were the greatest composers since Schubert. Now, a normal person would have appreciated this affirmation of the value of pop music in general and the Beatles in particular.

But, my eleven-year-old brain's reactions were:

1. Okay, he's in the ballpark, but... 
2. No, they are the greatest composers OF ALL TIME.
3. And who the f*ck is this guy Schubert, anyway??

At that age, we all had our lists of greatest whatever of all time. Here's mine (sorry, Kanye!):

• Band: Beatles
• Guitar: Eric Clapton
• Bass: Jack Bruce
• Drums: Ginger Baker (Hey, those guys should form a band!)
• Keyboards: Nobody cares.

Some Perspective:

It all sprang from a defensiveness about rock music built up over a childhood full of adults telling me how bad it was.  My reaction - borne of my "how can I be more of an asshole?" adolescence was to strike back with the brilliant riposte: Oh yeah? MY music is not only GOOD. It's THE ALL- TIME GREATEST and YOUR music (with everyone wearing suits in black and white movies and not a guitar in sight) SUCKS, and so forth.

It hadn't yet occurred to me that my time on Earth made up an exceedingly small part of "all-time", so some stuff actually happened before I was, you know, born.

So how the hell would I know?  Plus, that Schubert guy did write "Ave Maria"...

And legend had it there were other songwriters, too. Names like Ellington, Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, and a few others kept popping up.

I knew the time would come when I'd have to, uh, face the music. (Sorry.) Which I did for a lot of those names. 

Now it was time to give Franz a chance.

Piano Guy: 

Schubert played and wrote for the piano. If you went to a party with him and there was a piano in the room, god help you. He'd sit down and just start making things up as he went.

Advice: Always sit near the door.

Schubert: Piano Sonata in B Flat and Fantasia in C, Alfred Brendel, Piano

But his stuff was Pretty, Pretty Good.

Fantasia is quite nice with a lot of flourishes of melody and movement, but the real find here is the Sonata. 

Now, concertos and symphonies are great, but they also have lots of other instruments and it all can get rather busy. I'm a small combo guy, so I prefer sonatas, which are typically just one instrument. How do I remember which is which, you ask? With the following mnemonic device: S'not a lotta that extra bullshit.

And this one doesn't disappoint. While it's got the usual fussy parts, it also stretches out into some quiet, soulful territory, which is my sweet spot. Highly recommended.

A-

"Piano Sonata in B Flat"

Lieder of the Pack

But since this whole thing started as a comparison of songwriters, I knew I'd have to listen to, you know, actual songs. Or as Schubert insisted on calling them, lieder.

And given the way he cranked them about - about 600 - I didn't know where to start. And then the good old internet came through with an article on where to start.

But even that was too much, so I put on my consumer cap and looked for how to get the biggest bang for the buck. 

Schubert: Three Song Cycles: Die Schone Mullerin, Winterreise, Scshwanengesang - Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, Gerald Moore

And it's quite the bang. Fifty-eight songs and nearly three hours worth. I really could have only gotten one but by getting all three I'm actually saving money.  What was I supposed to do, not get it?

While I waited for it to arrive, I tried to not keep a picture of sound in my head regarding what to expect. The main thing I wanted was some sweet melody and relaxed singing. Not some stuffed shirt huffing and puffing like he was ordering panzers into Poland.

And for the most part, that's what I got. Sure, it takes a bit of getting used to and there are moments when things get awfully...formal - I feel I have to change out of my pajamas before putting it on - but overall it's about the beauty. And there's a lot of it. There are parts that aren't great but at least I can hear what Franz is going for.

Of the three, I give Winterreise the edge.

A-

"Gute Nacht"

More Perspective:

And through the wonders of the internet - which has done so much to bring us all together by spreading accurate information - I found the following in a Wikipedia article about the White Album:

In The Observer, Tony Palmer wrote that "if there is still any doubt that Lennon and McCartney are the greatest songwriters since Schubert", the album "should surely see the last vestiges of cultural snobbery and bourgeois prejudice swept away in a deluge of joyful music-making".

Wow, that Tony Palmer really knew his shit.

Too Soon?

March 27, 2022 (Reuters):  A conflict has broken out between the nations of Jaybee and Ms. Jaybee. The origins of the conflict are in dispute. One side has said it's about historical inequities and humiliation, while the other says it's just pure aggression. 

No matter who is right, it's now a war, and there can be no winners.

When historians look back their first question will, of course, be: Why doesn't Ms. Jaybee love every record Jaybee gets? If she did, none of this would have happened. But one can't go back.

The latest skirmish was just last week:

(Editor's Note: This is a dramatic reconstruction of events. Every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy.) 

(Editor's Wife's Note: Sez you.)

"Who's that you've got playing now?" she said.

"Guess," he said.

"Weyes Blood?" she replied. (Editors note: She always says Weyes Blood.)

"Nope. Big Thief," he responded. (Editor's Note: What he didn't say was Ahh ha! I heard you humming it! And to think when I first got it you HATED it!) 

(Editor's Wife's Note: Hate is a strong word, which I only use on our anniversary.)

Editor's Note: Perhaps a little background would be helpful:

She liked Weyes Blood and asked him to put it on many times. Although he's the one who actually got it, he liked it less than she did.

On the other hand, when he first got Big Thief she specifically asked that he not play it around her anymore.

And frankly, all the names blended together for her, while each was distinct and etched on his brain as with a chisel on a rock. (Editor's Wife's Note: Dense, thick, rock.)

If asked (Editor's Wife's Note: Don't) he would say it started when he found himself buying more and more rock records by bands led by women. And she - not being able to "accidentally" smash an mp3 like say, certain end table lamps - could only resort to pooh-pooh them, or damn them with faint praise. 

Neither Angel Olsen, Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, or even the Sandy Denny-led Fairport Convention could escape her disdain.

She would counter with, oh yeah? What about Beach House? Alvvays? Best Coast? Mitski? St. Vincent? Fiona Apple? Waxahatchee? Sharon Van Etten? Courtney friggin' Barnett?

Somehow that didn't help him. He had to admit the numbers seemed to be in her favor. But it did seem that the ones he liked the most were the ones she hated the most. There was the rub.

But there was nothing admitted. No satisfaction to be had by either side.

It called for an experiment. Each would give input and a grade to the three records in question:

Dry Cleaning: New Long Leg (2021)

Jaybee: Monotone female vocals, with words that sometimes seem random, combined with a good rhythm section and a rather pointed, distortion-drenched guitar. Fuckin' awesome, in my book.

A-

Ms. Jaybee: Pretty good. 

(Editor's note: This is a far cry from her initial expression of disgust.) 

(Editor's Editor Note: Disgust is probably too strong a word. Maybe resignation.)

B+

"Strong Feelings"

Weather Station: Ignorance (2021)

Jaybee: Mrs. Jaybee would often guess Weyes Blood when he put this on. She was close, but the vocals are a bit more relaxed, the tunes are a bit jazzier, and there's an actual beat. She might consider raising her voice at some point, though. The singer, not the Mrs.

A-

MJB: I like it but don't love it. Good background music. 

A-

"Parking Lot"

Haim: Women in Music, Part III  (2021)

Jaybee: For some reason, I was expecting loud rock music but instead got pop music in the best sense. Melodic, thoughtful and well played. Not brilliant but talented and worthy. But I'm not sure it couldn't have been done by someone else. Perhaps buoyed by their appearance in Licorice Pizza.

A-

Mrs. Jaybee: Enough of the bullshit already! A 

(Editor's Note: I find your enthusiasm baffling. Your first reaction was a shrug) 

(Editor's Wife's Note: The shrug was for you.)

"Halleluja"

Reuter's - March 28, 2022: BREAKING: The warring parties have agreed to a tentative ceasefire.

Mrs. Jaybee reportedly threatened to initiate the equivalent of a nuclear strike: a retaliatory purchase of a music album of her choosing each time Jaybee purchased one, which she would play in his presence each time he did the same.

When Jaybee asked what he could do to prevent this, Mrs. Jaybee replied "Just shutting the f*ck up would be nice".

He agreed, saying "Sure! I was gonna put on a new album anyway. It's by this all-female rock band that I just know you're gonna love..."

Reuter's - March 29, 2022: BREAKING: Jaybee has gone missing, and is believed to be in hiding.