Weird Folk.

It is Saturday afternoon. I have been listening to Divers by Joanna Newsom. This is only about the third time I have listened to it, but I like it, it is a grower, very lush arrangements and I can hear the influence of Van Dyke Parks in the lyrics. I would describe it as Weird Folk. I have several other albums that I would include in this genre. I don’t know about the USA but in the UK, I think The Incredible String Band must be the earliest exponents of this type of music. I only have one String Band album at the moment which is The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter. It is one of my favourite albums. 

Kip Of The Serenes by Dr Strangely Strange I would put in this category as well although I don't rate them as highly as the String Band.. I suppose you could include Tyrannosaurus Rex before they became T Rex and later Donovan in this genre. One of the best weird folk albums in my opinion is Just Another Diamond Day by Vashti Bunyan. I think it was written during a long journey in a horse drawn gypsy caravan to Scotland. It is a wonderful whimsical album which clip-clops along to the rhythm of the caravan.As far as American weird folk is concerned, I am pleased I discovered Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs. It was completely ignored when first released but has gained a cult following over the years. I also have an album called Rejoicing In The Hands by Devendra Banhart which I would include in this genre and more recently Shepherd In A Sheepskin Jacket by Bill Callahan. If I think of any more Weird albums in my collection I’ll add them in later.

Apart from listening to Joanna this morning, I put another book in my so-called shop. It is a signed copy of Even Dogs In The Wild by Ian Rankin. Crime fiction isn’t really my thing. I have never read any Ian Rankin but I did see him once because is a huge Van Morrison fan and he compared the Lit Up Inside evening in London which we went to in 2014. Anyway, that’s enough blogging for today. See you tomorrow.

Dreams Of The Peaceful Dragon.

Another decade has dawned, time to get busy. I have neglected my bookshop and my blog page recently, so I am determined this year to put one book a day in my bookshop and write something on my blog page, even if it is only a few sentences. I have got lots of nice books to put in my shop, but I chose this one at random today because I like the title. It is about this English girls’ adventures in the mysterious Himalayan country of Bhutan in the 1980’s.

It has been a nice sunny day here, but I haven’t ventured outside. I did a bit of housework though, cleaning out cupboards. If I spend an hour a day cleaning, then I’ll soon get this little hovel tidied up. I have got to do some serious house maintenance this year as well because the exterior is in a right state. I’ll have to wait for some warm dry weather for that though.

The news was a bit depressing this morning when I woke up to hear that the Americans had killed an Iranian general. That will only make matters worse. The worlds problems can only be solved through dialogue and diplomacy. All the countries of the world have to work together to find solutions, especially with climate change or we will all face extinction.

That will do for today. I’m off to feed my robin. See you tomorrow.