A little bit softer now

Captain Beefheart “Peon” – Even if you don’t usually like Mr. Van Vliet (i.e., think he’s too screechy or weird), you might like this song, off Lick My Decals Baby, which my husband was convinced to buy by some enthusiastic record-store clerks. I tend to think of it like “Beefheart does ‘Classical Gas'” except it’s not as up-tempo. Nor is it insanely cheesy. There’s also something about this album that reminds me especially of the first track off Milk Man; guitar tone, maybe? The best thing about this song, though, is its screwy time-signature, which I have yet to figure out because it keeps changing. So if you’re trying to tap your foot along, you can practically feel the neurons of confusion firing in your brain. The album’s very out of print, unfortunately. If you want, you can pay some seller on amazon $89.99, or you could make a trip to Athens and hit the wonderful Low Yo Yo Stuff (next to the 40 Watt downtown), which would probably run you a lot less. They try to keep a copy in stock at all times.

Bill Jones “The Barley and the Rye” – Bill is, of course, short for Belinda rather than William, and I’ve worked on getting my entire family hooked on this album (Panchpuran). She’s Irish-Indian. She plays about a million instruments (accordion! penny whistle!). And she has the liltiest voice ever. I’m not one of those folks who heads straight for the Celtic section of the CD store, at all, but she reawakens my secret love for folk music. I was raised on the stuff. Anyway, get your waltzy folk on. You can buy the album direct from her at the Brick Wall Music site linked to under her name or from amazon.