Paul Schiernecker

Author: Paul

  • Music Jar – week 14

    At the start of the year, I put the names of 52 artists into a jar. Each week, I take one out and focus on that musician, singer or band. This week I had the absolute pleasure of listening to Memphis’s own, soul sen-goddamn-sation, Aretha Franklin!

    What I Knew Before: It’s pretty hard not to at least be familiar with Aretha. The woman was (I’ve found out this week that she’s dead) a powerhouse performer with a legacy of songs that are a force to be reckoned with. I knew her best for her performance of Think in Blues Brothers and unfortunately from the version of Respect in Blues Brothers 2000.
    What I Know Now: There are a lot more Aretha songs that I knew and didn’t necessarily associate with her. Her version of Son of a Preacher Man is something else.
    I also watched Amazing Grace, the 2018 documentary show of her 1972 show at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

    Favourite song(s): All the big hitters I suppose; I Say A Little Prayer, Respect, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Think, Preacher Man, Chain of Fools, You Send Me.
    Favourite album(s): Everything from The Electrifying Aretha Franklin through to Runnin’ Out of Fools is damn near perfect.

    This is unprecedented in the fourteen weeks I’ve been posting my music jar listens, but please, watch this. Everything about it is incredible. What a woman.

     

  • Music Jar – week 13

    Each week, inspired by The Larson House, I put 52 artists in a jar. Each week, I take one name out and dig down into their discography. This week was the turn of North Shields cutie-patootie, Sam Fender.

    What I Knew Before: I saw Sam Fender last summer at a BST gig in Hyde Park. He opened for Neil Young and Bob Dylan. I was impressed with what I heard but didn’t take the time to listen afterwards. It was for this reason that he made the cut for the Music Jar.
    What I Know Now: Sam Fender is also an actor, having appeared in the first episode of the British drama series Vera as well as in season one, episode six of Wolfblood in 2012. This is pretty impressive considering he is still so young. Sam Fender’s debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, released in September 2019, reached number one in the UK.
    I really enjoyed having the time to listen to Sam Fender. It helped to distract from everything else going on in the world. On a couple of occasions I’ve got out the house for a run and it has been a welcome accompaniment. I can imagine this becoming a regular listen for me.
    Favourite song(s): Hypersonic Missiles, Call Me Lover, White Privilege.
    Favourite album: Hypersonic Missiles (his only album to date).

  • Music Jar – week 12

    It’s been a strange week and I’ve not really taken the opportunity to really delve into the music on offer from this week’s artist. As my wonderful friend Elisa put it, Jessie Ware probably isn’t my bag anyway.

    What I Knew Before: Jessie is short for Jessica.
    What I Know Now: Jessie Ware has three albums.
    Favourite song(s): Spotify recommends Say You Love Me, Spotlight, Selfish Love and Alone. I’ll go with those.
    Favourite album: Glasshouse.

  • Music Jar – week 11

    I cannot pretend this is an original idea, but it is a very good one. I put 52 musical artists in a jar and each week I focus on one. This week was the turn of LA art-rock four-piece, Warpaint.

    What I Knew Before: Their debut album, The Fool, is absolutely blinding.
    What I Know Now: The band formed on Valentine’s Day 2004, which is the day that Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind takes place. They also do a fantastic cover of Ashes To Ashes.
    Favourite song(s): Undertow (obviously), Love Is To Die, So Good and Whiteout.
    Favourite album: The Fool remains blinding, but the self titled second album is even better. Boy howdy!

  • Music Jar – week 10

    Every week I take an artist’s name out of a pickle jar and learn as much as I can about them. This week was the turn of Chicago-based alternative rockers, Wilco.

    What I Knew Before: At my friend’s 30th birthday, I was in charge of the playlist. He requested Wilco. I played a lot of Wilko Johnson before he broached the subject with me.
    What I Know Now: Wilco have a commendable amount of music and a “golden era” in the eyes of their fans. They’ve been active for nearly thirty years and have had twelve members in that time. They received a lot of press following their fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, being rejected by their record label who didn’t feel it was commercially viable. They had to buy the masters of their own album back and make it available through their own website before finding another label, who were just under Warner anywhere, so the whole thing felt pretty fucked up.
    Favourite song(s): Jesus, Etc., Love Is Everywhere (Beware), Wilco (The Song), Chain of Broken Hearts.
    Favourite album: Mermaid Avenue Vol. II might take it. It sounds absolutely mental.

  • Music Jar – week 9

    Names go into jar. Hand goes into jar. One winner appears (each week).
    This week was the turn of the real (Canadian) People’s Princess, Alanis Morissette.

    What I Knew Before: I knew Jagged Little Pill very well. I could shout a lot of the lyrics at you when drunk. I also knew that people like to pick Ironic apart like they know better
    What I Know Now: There is a lot more to Alanis than the album that I knew and loved. I’d never dipped in any further and it just so happens that her new single, Smiling came out at the start of the week. It’s her live performances that really take the biscuit though – Live At Montreux 2012 and Unplugged are another level entirely.
    Favourite song(s): Front Row, All I Really Want, Hand In My Pocket, You Learn, 21 Things I Want in a Lover,
    Favourite album: JLP, every time.

    Oh, I’ve also learnt to spell Morissette.

  • Music Jar – week 8

    Inspired by The Larson House, I put 52 bands/artists in a pickle jar. Each week I take a name out and focus on listening to them.
    This week was the turn of empirical sad girl, Lana Del Rey.

    What I Knew Before: Lana Del Rey is a mystical and beautiful beast who has a significant number of albums I hadn’t heard. I associated her music with a girl I was seeing for a while. There are memories around her first album, but they aren’t necessarily negative.
    What I Know Now: I’m in the same mind but aware I have been missing out on everything Lana has done since I was into Born To Die.
    Favourite song(s): Video Games will always have a special place in my heart but I also really like Venice Bitch, Summertime Sadness, Shades Of Cool and Fuck it I love you.
    Favourite album: Born To Die but with a special commendation to Norman Fucking Rockwell.

  • Music Jar – Week 7

    After reading about a project by The Larson House, I put the names of 52 bands/artists in a pickle jar. Each week I listen to one in the hope of finding new favourites and eventually, the leap home.
    This week was the turn of the thinking woman’s crumpet, Guy Garvey, and his sticky wicket band, Elbow.

    What I Knew Before: I have seen Elbow. I’ve been in their presence. At a Muse show in 2002 (approx), they were the support group. In a review I wrote for my student paper, I described the lead singer as “Samwise Gamgee with a capo”. That certainly hasn’t changed. I also think they played at Glastonbury for one of the years I was there. I don’t know if I saw them, which says a lot.
    I knew all the big songs. The ones that get played at festivals stuck in a perpetual sunset. The big choruses that everyone sings and that bit that goes BAAUUU BAAAU BUM BUM BAAA BAAAU BUM.
    I also remembered that they did an M&S version of Golden Slumbers that people got really mad about but which I quite enjoyed.
    What I Know Now: In the words of Talking Heads, I suppose it’s the same as it ever was. I enjoyed the earlier stuff more, almost found it to be diminishing returns as far as albums go. Saying that, Giants Of All Sizes (2019) sees something wonderful back in the fray.
    Favourite song(s): Anyone who says their favourite Elbow song isn’t Grounds For Divorce needs their head examined.
    Favourite album: I hate to say, I was into this band before they were cool but Asleep In The Back is probably the most interesting album they’ve put out. My opinion isn’t going to diminish the astounding career that they’ve had, it’s just not 100% my cup of grease.

  • Music Jar – Week 6

    Inspired by The Larson House, I am picking a band or artist I certainly should know a hell of a lot better out of a pickle jar and listening to their back catalogue for a week.
    This week, it was the turn of sexy Parisians, Nouvelle Vague. I didn’t think I knew the new and the recommendation came courtesy of my good friend Lefteris. I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Stephanie, who had definitely sent me a number of their songs in the past. The name clearly hadn’t stuck.

    What I Knew Before: Possibly, very little. As I will detail, a number of their songs were immediately recognisable for tow reasons. The first is that they cover a lot of immediately recognisable rock songs in a swing/bossa nova style. The second is that their music is everywhere. You may not have realised it. i know I certainly hadn’t.
    What I Know Now: All of their music sounds like it should be on a soundtrack for a film that I want to write. It’s very cool and effortlessly sexy. Some of their covers are arguably better than the original. I would certainly rather get down to the Nouvelle Vague version of Too Drunk To Fuck.
    Favourite song(s): Guns Of Brixton, Ever Fallen In Love, Too Drunk To Fuck.
    Favourite album: This is tough. They’re all very good. The weak one is probably Version Francaise for me for that’s just my take. Bande a Part is the best.

  • Music Jar – Week 5

    This week, I pulled LA rock duo, Best Coast from the pickle jar. I dedicated seven days to them, which as luck would have it, ended with the release of their new album, Always Tomorrow.

    What I Knew Before: I knew there were two of them. I knew that they were a band who were around when I had some idea about music, when I prided myself on it, in fact. They seemed cool and aloof and kind of surf music-y and I was there for that. I remembered there was a cat on the cover of their first album.
    What I Know Now: As advised by my good friend Luke Stephen, who recommended they be included in the project, they’re often overlooked but are a solid band with four albums (now) under their belt. There is a lot to dig into here, which has been a nice break from the last two weeks where it was a more intense listen to one or two albums.
    Favourite song(s): Boyfriend (because it’s track one on Crazy For You (the cat album)), Happy, Dreaming My Life Away, Heaven Sent (which has a Nirvana vibe), Jealousy and This Lonely Morning.
    Favourite album: Weirdly, the album I enjoyed the most was a seven track EP, Fade Away, released in 2013 and buried in their Spotify page. There’s something musically and cosmically urgent about the songs featured there and I was all for it.