Radio Fee California Episode 2628, notes about the music, and he would have liked to have seen Montana

 

New music this week from The Rolling Stones, Fionn, Will Sheff with Okkervil River, U2, Asia, Soul Rash, The Linda Lindas with Hayley Williams, The Temper Trap, Suki Waterhouse, Coach Party and so much more. Enjoy!

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I could not have started this week's playlist in a more contrasting way than having new music from a barely recognizable Asia (only Goeff Downes from the original lineup remains) and new music by U2 (and with Larry Mullins having never left the group after all sill in their original lineup). Asia is still the bombastic band they've always been (and I don't give a damn about your "40-year old Virgin" joke) while U2 sounds as fresh as they have in years. It's quite a contrast between two bands who had their first US successes in the same years.

So this week obviously belongs to The Rolling Stones. Their new album, while not their best by a long shot, certainly isn't bad. It ranks around the "Tattoo You" level of albums, not brilliant but not bad either. Given that the average remaining living members of the band are over 80 years old it's actually pretty impressive that they still sound this good. Unlike bands like The Beatles, the Stones started out as a blues band and there's plenty of evidence on this record that they still remember that, and those are the best moments. As for me, I've always been drawn to the tracks where Keith Richards sings lead, but also to their ballads, including the one that closes out this playlist.

Another album worth your time is the new release from Fionn, called "scum!". If you look at their bio you'll see they call themselves "Replacement Olsen Twins" but that barely scratches the surface of their alt-rocking sound. 

For those of you who love old-fashioned and soulful R&B, I have to recommend The War and Treaty and their new album "The Story of Michael and Tanya", Led by the Husband and Wife team of Michael and Tanya Trotter they have occupied various styles but they're really gone for it here, walking you through their relationship and their ups and downs. Some really great stuff.

I give a couple of local bands (well, local to their scene) some love. MUTT (Oakland) is a great 3 piece that give solid punk/pop music, while Roverto Quiroga mc is Mexico's equivalent of the typical alt-rocker. I've been following both bands for a while and if either of them gets picked up by a good producer they're going to go far.

Finally, Suki Waterhouse's new album "Loveland" has a few good tracks on it. You should give the album a listen and decide for yourself.

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The world has lost a giant with the passing of Sam Niel. The New Zealand actor best known for his role in the Jurassic Park movies as well as a stellar supporting role in Hunt for Red October, and probably the only heavyweight New Zealander to NOT appear in any Lod of the Rings movies.

He was my wife's favorite actor. Whenever he showed up in something she'd say "Vassili", after his character in Hunt for Red October. You might have a favorite movie of his and I will recommend two, "The Piano" and "Until the End of the World".

He wasn't the star of either movie, but neither movie works without him. In "The Piano" he plays the husband of Holly Hunter's mute pianist and the range he possesses in this movie is jaw-dropping. He has turns as both gentle and maniacal, and commits the worst violence and the kindest acts in the film. He was very good at complicated people.

In "Until the End of the World" (which was an early date movie for me and my wife) he is the narrator, slightly unreliable because he has a crush on the lead female character, played in multiple languages by Solveig Dommartin. Other than as a narrator he doesn't even show up in the first act of the film. William Hurt is the male lead, but his motives are difficult to understand for much of the movie. Without Niell holding the movie together many of the scenes don't seem to fit together, but you realize not only that they are all tied together, but his character's perspective matters, even though he's not the male lead.

This movie was my gateway into movies from Wim Wenders.

He lived in San Francisco for a year, filming The Bicentennial Man and the TV series Alcatraz. I first saw him without even knowing who he was in the 3rd Omen movie, where he plays the young antichrist Damien of the previous movies now grown up and in politics. He was Komarovsky in the remake of Dr. Zhivago. More recently he did 12 episodes of Peaky Blinders and a marvelous turn in "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". 

He played the actor who played Odin in "Thor: Ragnarok". 

Yeah, I suppose I was supposed to blog about political shit and the death of a Senator who I particularly disliked, but Sam Niell was someone I cared about, and I will miss that mischievous smile of his. See any of his movies. You will know what I mean.

 And because I love you, here is the video for the new U2 single, which is actually pretty good.