#cuddle magic

My top ten albums of 2020!

10. Frances Quinlan, Likewise

9. Smashing Pumpkins, Cyr (don’t own it on vinyl though!)

8. AJJ, Good Luck Everybody

7. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Temple

6. Spanish Love Songs, Brave Faces Everyone

5. Cuddle Magic, Bath (sadly this has no physical release at all, vinyl or CD)

4. Shabaka & The Ancestors, We are Sent Here by History

3. Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You

2. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters

1. Chicano Batman, Invisible People

Lake Street Dive at Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 10, 2017

Cooking with a delicious swirl of jazz, soul, rock and R&B, Lake Street Dive whip up a blend of music that nods to the past and winks at you from the here and now.

The Brooklyn-based quartet put on a mesmerizing, 90-minute concert Thursday night before a small but enthusiastic crowd inside the grimy Newport Music Hall. Joined by an auxiliary keyboardist, trumpeter/guitarist Mike Olson, drummer Mike Calabrese and standup bass player Bridget Kearney laid down a thick roux of American musical styles for Rachael Price’s simmering vocal performances.

Beguiling in a sheer, ankle-length skirt and sleeveless back top, Price demanded attention with her stage presence - using her mic stand as a dance partner, strutting across the stage and doing leg kicks in Kearney's direction as the bassist plucked the fattest notes you’ll hear from an upright - and earned it with her powerful vocals as she stretched notes and bounded across octaves like an singing gymnast. As the musicians chimed in with flawless two-, three- and four-part harmonies that made Sound Bites' skin bumpy, Lake Street Dive proved itself as vocally adept as it is musically adventurous.

With nothing much more than a quick “thank you” between songs, the band peeled off some 18 original tracks in rapid-fire succession and showcased bits of its entire catalog.

“Bad Self Portraits” set a funky tone in the opening slot; “Saving all My Sinning” was a call to the weekend, Price suggested; “Don’t Make Me Hold Your Hand” married rock and blues; and “Call off Your Dogs” added dance music to the group's expansive musical palate. The sultry “Seventeen” and “You Go Down Smooth” showed off Lake Street Dive’s sassy and sexy sides, respectively.

The show’s two covers lent yet another facet to the shining performance.

With Olson on trumpet and Calabrese on tambourine, the foursome gathered around a single mic to render George Michael’s “Faith” an infectious sock hop-cum-church service. They closed the show with Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Let Me Roll It,” which featured Olson recreating the song’s famous six-string riff with his horn and a wailing Price adding a few power chords on her bandmate’s axe.

The show was too short; however, it would've also been too short if Lake Street Dive had played for three hours.

Kearney joined Cuddle Magic on lead and harmony vocals for the last two tunes of its opening set, adding a bit of normalcy to an otherwise-baffling performance. With keys and drums dominating the mix, the band also included mostly inaudible sax and acoustic guitar, the latter from falsetto-singing frontman Benjamin Lazar Davis.

Best Songs of 2017: January

This year has started early with a few high profile releases as well as some hidden gems. Check out 26 songs from the past month of new albums. There is surely something for everyone!

Slowdive - Star Roving

The Proper Ornaments - Cremated (Blown Away)

Allison Crutchfield - Dean’s Room

Japandroids - No Known Drink or Drug

Fred Thomas - Voiceover

Rick Rude - Bald & Fat in Houston, TX

Cherry Glazerr - Told You I’d Be With the Guys

Thurst - Distance

Tall Friend - Cockroach

Priests - Jj

Rubblebucket - Donna

The xx - Say Something Loving

Brandon Can’t Dance - Smoke & Drive Around

Shy Girls - Why I Love

Mr. Tophat (feat. Robyn) - Trust Me

Pillow Person - On Your Way

Bonobo (feat. Rhye) - Break Apart

Cuddle Magic - Trojan Horse

Landlady - Electric Abdomen

No Middle Name- Fading Photo

Sam Skinner - Learn

Mark Eitzel - The Last Ten Years

Foxygen - Follow The Leader

Chavez - Blank In The Blaze

Eat Fast - Sand Drone

Irma Vep - A Woman’s Work Is Never Done