The Midweekly is our column from Mike Jeffers; lead singer of Chicago punk stalwarts SCRAM, music junkie and all around righteous dude.
Channeling the great spirits of folk and rock, Basia Bulat delivers that classic style of songwriting on her latest release Are You In Love? Produced by Jim James (My Morning Jacket), and recorded in the deserts of Joshua Tree, the album pulls off the magic of transferring that ethereal landscape right into the music. But with her magnificent voice, the Canadian singer seems to conjure a snowstorm at times, with songs of loneliness, and longing for the comfort of home. Though that same voice can grow a field of flowers, overcoming that cold pain, on the very next song. The title of this record asks a question, and after melodic, toe-tapping rumination, the answer is yes.
Editor’s old comedy buddy DK Hamilton has been fighting the good fight on his facebook page, defending the rare pearls hidden among the dreck that is most Christmas music, and we thought it was too good not to share.
Yes, most Christmas music is terrible. The Christmas album is generally an artist’s admission that they’ve run out of ideas and need to make a quick score (except for Pentatonix, which has never had any ideas).
