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In this installment of "Album of the Month Club," Tara and Natalie discuss "Jar of Flies" by Alice in Chains and "Diagnosis" by Sen Morimoto. Learn more about Record Store Society.
Creators & Guests
What is Record Store Society?
It's time to visit your favorite local record store; a place where music fans spend countless hours flipping through records, discuss the minutia of favorite b-sides, best live albums, and anything else music-related. If you have any questions, you can always find Tara and Natalie behind the counter ready to give a recommendation or tell you about a recent discovery. Join Record Store Society, a music podcast, biweekly to see what’s new or just to hang around for some music talk.
Spring is getting closer. Finally. Not finally. It's here. It's here.
Natalie:It is it is here. Yeah. I can't believe it.
Tara:I know I can't believe it either. But do you know what that means?
Natalie:New month, new music.
Tara:New month, new music, new album of the month.
Natalie:Mhmm. Mhmm. I feel you.
Tara:As we all in the store know, album of the month is where we like to chat about a particular album that we've chosen to discuss.
Natalie:Yeah. New
Tara:or old. And, yeah, we just talk about it and check it out together. Kind of a kind of a, like, album review, but not really. Just kind of an exploration discovery share, if you will. So, yeah, I have a very exciting, not very exciting, kind of sad actually, album, but exciting news.
Tara:Oh, hi. How are you? I'm Tara.
Natalie:I'm Natalie. Welcome to the store.
Tara:Go ahead and take a look around. We'll be over here talking about our albums of the month. But, yeah, I selected an album for this discussion that just recently had a reissue, but it's not a very upbeat and happy album at all.
Natalie:Oh, what's that?
Tara:It is Alice in Chains Jar of Flies.
Natalie:Oh, wow. Oh, nice. That got reissued. Yeah. Bummer.
Natalie:Amazing album. Just masterpiece of an album, but pretty dark.
Tara:Pretty dark. And, also, I think, technically well, not technically, but it is kind of an EP. Although I think by definition, an EP is under 30 minutes, and this one is just slightly over at 30 minutes, 50 seconds, 7 songs. But, yeah, I actually remember the first time ever hearing Jar of Flies as a teenager. I was staying at my dad's house over the summer, and he was in the Navy and had some young men roommates.
Tara:And I got to borrow some of their CDs. There was Jar of Flies, Red Hot Chili Peppers was 1. I feel like there was another one too, but I'm drawing a blank on which one that was. Oh, it might have Pearl Jam 10, actually. And it really stuck with me, this record, and I loved it so much.
Tara:And lately, because I collect vinyl, I've been just waiting for a reissue or just constantly waiting for someone to sell their copy for, you know, less than a $100.
Natalie:And your wish has come true. That's cool. Yeah. It's been 30 years.
Tara:To come true.
Natalie:I can't believe that album is 30 years old. That's crazy. No.
Tara:It's crazy. Finally reissued. So I have pre ordered my copy.
Natalie:Oh, congratulations.
Tara:It will finally be mine.
Natalie:Yes. I am happy for you.
Tara:Thank you. But yeah, let's get into it. So Jar of Flies, as we mentioned, is the 3rd studio album by American rock band, Alice in Chains, and it was released January 25, 1994. It is the second acoustic EP after 1990 two's SAP. And, you know, most of Jar of Flies has this dominance of acoustic instrumentation.
Tara:And so it's often considered almost like the continuation of the sound from SAP. It's actually this was kind of mind blowing to me. The 1st EP in music history to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200 charts.
Natalie:That's cool.
Tara:With the 1st week of sales exceeding a 141,000 copies in the United States. Wow. I know that's insane. Yeah. That's crazy.
Tara:It was self produced, and it was written and recorded over the course of just 1 week at London Bridge Studio in Seattle. And, yeah, Jar of Flies was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards in 95 and best recording package and best hard rock performance for I Stay Away. But okay. Enough of the accolades. Let's just dive in.
Tara:So obviously 1994, we're kind of like mid nineties, grunge music was everywhere. All the record labels were snatching up any band with members wearing Doc Martens and flannel, and it was like the goal to find the next Nirvana, but Alice in Chains were already deep in the game. They were already considered pioneers and leaders on the scene due to their mega successful album, Dirt, which features songs, Rooster, then Bones, and also the title track, Dirt. And, they're also included on the soundtrack to singles, which we all know and love by Cameron Crowe, depicting life in Seattle and the music at the time in the nineties.
Natalie:What a time to be alive
Tara:during the grand jury. I do feel like to have lived- I do too. I do. It's great. I'd probably say that every time we talk in the store.
Natalie:I'd like 80 flannels you just rotate through during the course of the week.
Tara:Yeah. So Alice in Chains were just coming off of an extensive tour in 93 supporting the album Dirt. Plus they did a stint on the Lollapalooza festival, and they just fired their original bassist, Mike Starr. I've read that the reason that they have said that they let Mike go is that, you know, after all of this intense touring and press, Mike was ready to go home, but Mike himself says, actually, I was kicked out because of my escalating drug use. So I'm not really sure what the true reason was, but I guess if it's what Mike is saying, then that's probably what it was, which makes sense.
Tara:But maybe Allison James was trying to, you know, make him look a little better or something. But anyways, so they replaced Mike Starr with Mike Inez, which was Ozzy Osbourne's bassist because when they were touring, Ozzy's band actually joined them a little bit on tour plus Blind Melon. So that was cool. And then so the members also around this time, they got home from that tour and Lollapalooza, and they found that they were evicted from their residence after failing to pay the rent. So they were homeless.
Tara:And then the whole band moved into London Bridge Studio in Seattle, which is of course where they recorded Jar of Flies. But also during that tour, Jerry Cantrell called Jerry Cantrell is the guitarist and also a singer in Alice in Chains, called producer Toby Wright and proposed that they collaborate on some new material. And Wright was excited. So he booked 10 days at Lindenridge Studios. So drummer, Sean Kinney, actually has said after playing loud music for a year, we'd come home.
Tara:And the last thing we wanted to do was crank up our amps. Regarding material for Jar of Flies, he says that stuff was written on buses and whenever we had downtime. We did Jar of Flies to see how it was to record a bassist, Mike Inez. We just went into the studio with no songs written to check out the chemistry. It all fell into place.
Tara:The sounds and the tones are really good. We thought it would be a waste not to put the material out. And the 1st session took place September 7, 1993. Layne Staley said, who is the vocalist, as we all probably are familiar with, said, we just really wanted to go in the studio for a few days with our acoustic guitars to see what happened. We never really planned on the music we made at the time to be released, but the record label heard it and really liked it.
Tara:For us, it was just the experience of 4 guys getting together in the studio and making some music. And the album sessions lasted about 14 to 18 hours a day, and the recording was done complete in 7 days.
Natalie:That's crazy.
Tara:And I didn't know this. This is really cool. The album was actually recorded on tape on a Neve 80 68 mixing console. And Lane said, you know, no pro tools should be used. And Lane was super familiar with working in the studio and had a working knowledge of his sound preferences and felt that analog sounded better for the band sound.
Tara:And then, yeah, most of the tracks were recorded within 1 or 2 takes. So I didn't know that for yeah. Recorded super analog style. And just the speaking on the album vibe overall, as we mentioned, it's kind of a bummer of an album, but it does demonstrate a wide variety of sounds and texture. There's a lot of blues, rock elements and some kind of jangle guitar too, which was pretty popular in the late eighties and early nineties from some Indian alternative bands in rock.
Tara:And then of course, the a lot of the lyrics are pretty dark and gloomy and talk about or singing about living the consequences of, like, loneliness and self imposed isolation and just, like, lost human connections and maybe some drug stuff in there as well. Alright. Before we dive into the music, I just wanna talk a little bit too on the whole concept, title, and the artwork. The album's title actually originates from this science experiment that Jerry Cottrell conducted in 3rd grade. He maintained 2 jars full of flies.
Tara:1 of the jars would be overfed while the flies in the other jar would be underfed. The flies that were overfed reproduced rapidly, but then died from overcrowding. The flies that were underfed managed to survive throughout a year. And I guess there's probably message in there somewhere is what's Lane said, but evidently, it had a big impact on Jerry as a child. So I did not know that.
Tara:Crazy thing. Yeah. The album cover was photographed by Rocky Schenck in September 8, 1993. He recalls the band had come up with the idea for the title and wanted the cover to be a young boy looking into a jar filled with flies. I remember they asked me to use crazy colors in the shot, so I utilized different gels over the lights to achieve the final look.
Tara:And then I just wanted to note for the 2024 reissue, a super limited special vinyl pressing was made that it included actual dead flies in clear vinyl. And it sold out in like seconds. And it was like $1,000. It was cool looking. Anyways okay.
Tara:Let's get into the music. That's enough of that.
Natalie:Can I can I say one thing? I just had a really random thought. I'm looking at this the album artwork, and I always thought the cover was so cool. And I don't know, just kind of, mesmerizing in a way. You know?
Natalie:Like, I don't even know I don't even know the emotion it makes me feel, but it makes me feel something. And I just think about how shitty it would look AI generated. Like, if you told AI to just be, like, have a kid looking into a jar of flies. Do you know what I mean? Because it's it's just such a simple concept, and I don't even know what what I'm trying I'm supposed to take away from it, but I know that looking at this does something to me.
Natalie:You know what I mean?
Tara:Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. I
Natalie:would jack it all up.
Tara:I kinda wanna try that. Oh, I'm curious. Alright. So Jar of Life. First track, right out of the gate is Rotten Apple.
Tara:So Rat and Apple kicks off with the new bassist, Mike Inez, a special part. It's a super melodic bass intro, and you can already hear a bluesy sound that you'll hear throughout the record in the first 10 seconds of the album and the song. Jerry Cantrell delivers expertly crafted guitar solo later on in the song too with some nice wah wah pedal effect. And I think that this song is kind of about a young person's developing drug habit and, I guess, a fall into addiction. There's one verse that says, what I see is unreal.
Tara:I've written my own part. Eat of the apple so young. I'm crawling back to start. And this could mean that Lane is essentially like writing his own book. He he made his bed, now he's going to lie in it.
Tara:He chose the needle and its consequence, and no one else is responsible, and almost comparing his sins to to, like, something biblical, you know, eating of the apple so young, I guess. That was my take on it.
Natalie:Yeah. It's interesting how I'm always very fascinated by their lyrics because there are different interpretations, and I feel like it's it meets you where you are. Like, whatever your personal experience is, that's how you're gonna relate to what he's saying. It doesn't lock you into one interpretation. And I think that's why this album in general is just so so so significant and meaningful for so many people.
Natalie:You know?
Tara:Mhmm. Yeah. Definitely. I agree. Alright.
Tara:Track 2, Nuts
Natalie:shell.
Tara:So nutshell is is more of that acoustic feel that we got from the EP SAP. Some points we hear some overdubbed acoustics. Jerry Cantrell used pickups in his guitars, and he wanted to keep the sound as close to acoustic sounding as possible. So that it sounded like an acoustic guitar instead of the electrified acoustic guitar, which I think worked really well on this album and especially this song. And then there's also you can hear a side stick drum technique and brushes to keep the softer feel from the drums.
Tara:But the lyrics are heavy and honest, of course, as are most of the songs on the EP. The bassist Mike Inez said of nutshell. I think the number one for me is nutshell. Lane was very honest with his songwriting. And in nutshell, he really put everything in a nutshell for everybody.
Tara:That song still gets me choked up whenever I play it. I get a little teary eyed and sometimes when we're doing the arena runs, especially, they'll have some video footage of Lane and I look and see me and Jerry Cantrell and Sean looking the wrong way. We're not looking at the audience. We're looking back at Lane, and it's pretty cool that there's still that song for us. Yeah.
Tara:It's just a sad thing he says. Yeah. And, of course, some of the lyrics, my gift of self is raped. My privacy is raped, and yet I find and yet I find repeating in my head, if I can't be my own, I'd feel better dead.
Natalie:This song wasn't even it wasn't a single, was it?
Tara:It was actually no. It wasn't. It was not. You're right. You're right.
Tara:Sorry. I was just getting mixed up with no excuses. But Nutshell was not a single, but it was widely regarded as one of Allison Shane's best songs, and it was actually ranked number 9 on Rolling Stones reader poll, the top 10 saddest songs of all time.
Natalie:Yeah. I mean, that's that's pretty powerful for it to be Yeah. Have become so big and so memorable, not even having been released as a single. That's
Tara:Yeah. Definitely. And, of course, we all know that Lane struggled with addiction and passed away only a mere 8 years after this was released,
Natalie:at
Tara:the young age of 34. And the song was also performed on MTV Unplugged in 1996, and it was the last time the song was played live with Layne Staley. Wow. Sad. On a slightly higher note is the next track, I Stay Away.
Tara:And this one was the one that stuck with me as a teenager, and I think it's because of the super cool music video that came with it. Mhmm. But we'll talk more about that after we talk about the song. It's the second single from Jar of Flies, and it was actually the the first song that they'd written with Mike, the new bassist. So it kinda made it a whole other special song for the EP.
Tara:It proved to us and the fans valid part of the band Mike was. He plays the nastiest, darkest shit, but he's got the sweetest heart in the world. I love that. But, yeah, the opening is like this kind of bright guitar riff, And then the chorus or the pre chorus rather takes a detour and it's a lot darker and heavier and kind of spookier, sludgier. And then the chorus reintroduces this sort of more upbeat, brighter tones.
Tara:So
Natalie:Yeah. That hook is so sick. I I love that contrast so much. And, like, the bass is I've always loved the bass line in this song. And then Yeah.
Natalie:Their voices, like, you know, everyone knows Alice in Chains. They have this harmonization that they're known for. And the way they Yes. The way they hit that hook, and it just kinda draws out, but they're always in such perfect, tight harmony. It's it's so cool.
Natalie:Yeah.
Tara:I love the harmonies between Jerry and Lane on this one for sure. And also, the first time they've ever used strings on a song was this one.
Natalie:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's another favorite part. This is such a good song.
Natalie:It's been a while. So, yeah, I do. I love the strings when he sings I Stay Away. It's super cool.
Tara:The music video was super special. It was directed by Nick Duncan, also known for his animated short film, The Junkie's Christmas. It was created entirely with stop motion animation and included the band members as puppets. The band travels to a circus aboard a bus, and there's this sinister looking boy holding a jar full of flies. At the circus.
Tara:The boy releases the flies that causes total chaos to erupt. And, yeah, there's just a lot of fun and crazy things that happen, and I'll leave it to surprise if anyone has never seen this music video. Yeah. I think the the video is so memorable, and actually the puppets I remember seeing this too, this music video on the Beavis and Butt Head. Yeah.
Tara:That's one one of their episodes where they review music videos. Yeah. I remember seeing this one particularly.
Natalie:Yeah. I remember this video, really stuck in my craw. I'm like, what it what am I looking at? What is this? I can't look away.
Natalie:This is awesome.
Tara:Yeah. I love anything stop motion, man.
Natalie:I miss those videos so much.
Tara:California Raisins. I had the Chris I have it. I actually rebought it on DVD, the California raisins Christmas special.
Natalie:Had to
Tara:have it. Alright. Moving right along to number 4, no excuses. No excuses is the lead single from Jar of Flies. And speaking of harmonies between Lane and Jerry, this one has them, and it sounds great again.
Tara:Someone has, more of an upbeat syncopated drum intro. And of course, as soon as you hear it, it's instantly recognizable that syncopated drumbeat intro. No excuses kinda also has this like REM, American indie alternative sound a little bit, with the jangly guitars.
Natalie:Yeah.
Tara:Jerry wrote this one and it's been thought to be about his unstable relationship with Layne's daily, but highlighting both their difficulties as well as their friendship. In the final verse, you hear him say, you, my friend, I will defend. And if we change, well, I love you anyway. So it kind of comes to a a resolve there, which is good. Track 5, whale and wasp is instrumental and features wailing electric That sounds like whales, the mammal, not crying.
Natalie:Or whales wailing.
Tara:We both Whales wailing. Wailing whales.
Natalie:I love this this piece so much. That Yeah. It's it's amazing. The whale call that he plays on the guitar. It's just, you know, it's like when you take off in an airplane and you you feel just pressed down against your seat and just squeeze on all sides.
Natalie:That's what it feels like. It grabs you and kinda pulls you with it. It's so, so effective. You know?
Tara:Yeah. Beautiful and sad sounding.
Natalie:Really.
Tara:So we have only 2 more tracks on this very short EP. Track 6, don't follow. You hear more harmonic on this one and some more jangly guitars again. Jerry wrote this one and sings the first half and Lane, sings the second half, which I kinda like this, you know, different verse singing, combo. And this one is a bit of, nineties rock ballad vibes to me.
Tara:Reminds me kind of of, like, more than words, something like that. You know what I mean?
Natalie:Yeah. This is like this is quintessential nineties sound in every way.
Tara:Yeah. Definitely. Alright. Last song. And this one is definitely not my favorite on the album, but perhaps they wanted to leave on a happier note because this one has a little bit of a jazzy swing feel to it, and it's a little bit louder, more rocking, I feel I feel like than the others.
Tara:So swing on this.
Natalie:Bit of a curveball on the album.
Tara:Yeah. A curveball.
Natalie:The swing is like, oh, okay. We're doing this now.
Tara:Yeah. Alright. That's it. The song, no excuses reached number 1 on the album rock tracks chart, becoming the 1st single by the band to do so. And Jerry even said, we couldn't believe it did so well.
Tara:And that the success of Jar of Fly showed us that we could do what we liked and other people would like it too. And I think this this album really made a mark on rock history. And not only that, but as well received by the critics, and it was it's been certified quadruple platinum by the never really loved the more metal sounding grunge of the nineties, this one stuck with me as a young person, and I've always held it in my heart. It's always been a special a special thing I've held on to all these years. And I definitely think they have just solidified their place in music history.
Tara:And in my opinion, one of the greatest rock albums or EP is ever made, honestly.
Natalie:Yeah. I would I would agree with you. I think it's it it is very, very nineties, but it absolutely holds up. Like, Alice in Chains was just such a solid band. And, I I do like this album.
Natalie:I don't, like, listen to it frequently. I kind of I prefer their earlier stuff, so I'm more likely to go revisit that. But, yeah, just what a what an impressive creative output. You know? It's really cool.
Natalie:Have you seen them live before?
Tara:I have not. No.
Natalie:I saw them I I think it was Lollapalooza 93. I saw them. And I and I remember that being like, oh, like, I need to I need to pay attention. You know? Because I'd only seen things on MTV, whatever had a music video or, like, performances in MTV.
Natalie:But, like, watching them, that's when it really hooked me for sure.
Tara:So Oh, man. I'm so jealous. You've seen them live. Gosh.
Natalie:That happens very rare that I've seen something someone you haven't seen, so I will take that.
Tara:That's that's awesome, though. Yeah. Well, speaking of, wanting to leave on a happier note, what album have you brought for us today?
Natalie:Yeah. Okay. So we're gonna switch gears pretty significantly here. This is, a pretty recent album. Just came out, in 2023, just last year, from the artist, Sen Morimoto, and the album's called Diagnosis.
Natalie:So, Sen Morimoto, he is a jazz rap multi instrumentalist, multi talented guy born in Kyoto, raised in Massachusetts, and currently based in Chicago. And diagnosis is his 3rd studio album. It was released on his own label, Super Records, in partnership with City Slang. And this record appeals to me because it just feels so liberated. Like, it's like he's having this candid conversation, and at times, he's putting down this full on indictment of capitalism and particularly how it plays out in the music industry and his frustrations and his rejection of having to, like, play the game to get the fame, I guess.
Natalie:And he just kinda touches on all kinds of topics like police violence, working class issues, the power of nature, the healing power of nature. It's just like he's exploring and introspecting a lot. And I don't know. It was just like spring, and I feel like I'd been in a particular space with the the albums I've been gravitating to the last few months, you know, in since, like, last fall or whatever. It's like, I'm ready for something kind of fresh and more upbeat.
Natalie:And even though he's just getting all the stuff off his chest, all of the music, he's rapping it all in these really groovy art pop moments that just feel good. It's just a feel good album, and that's what I need this March, man.
Tara:It is a really feel good album.
Natalie:Yeah. So I love the opening track. It's called if the answer isn't love. So what's great about this track, it's kinda got this, like, psychedelic groove that's very chill, very effortless. It's not trying to be or sound like anything.
Natalie:It's just floating in this zone, and it's got this great, great catchy hook. He says, what will last? What will last? I know plenty must pass. Tell me what can we have?
Natalie:But if the answer isn't love, then forget that I asked. Aw. It's great. Morimoto does this great track by track breakdown of the album with Consequence of Sound, and he says that this song is about choosing love in the face of impending doom. You know, we've got war, climate disaster, all this tragedy.
Natalie:After the dust settles, what will we have to show for it? And if the answer if it's not a greater capacity for love, then I don't even wanna know. You know? Yeah. And it's just it it stands as a as a really great thesis statement for the entire record, I think.
Tara:Yeah. This first track right out of the gate was really good. I loved it. And his voice, it immediately made me think of Self, the band from the nineties also. I I feel like this album is very kind of nineties ish or at least something about it reminds me of something from that era.
Tara:And I don't think it's just the band self. I feel like there's other things too. And I feel like the way you describe his views on, like, the working class and into capitalism and things like that kinda reminds me of Evan Dando in a in a way. I don't know. But, yeah, I enjoyed this album, and the first track is great.
Natalie:I love the first yeah. The first track is really pulled me in. And that's what you wanna opening track to do on a record is to convince the person to keep listening. You know what his voice reminds me of? You mentioned, like, nineties and everything, and I I can see that.
Natalie:He reminds me of, like, like JK Light. You know, JK from Jamiroquai. It's like a a softer, gentler version of of his voice. Interesting. That's what I kept hearing.
Natalie:But, yeah. Another fun tidbit about this album is Morimoto hosted a listening party for the album at a Chicago drive in, which included a screening of the 1974 Brian De Palma film Phantom of the Paradise. I don't know if you're familiar with this, but it's like a a cult classic musical, which mirrors some of the themes in the album around, like, treacherous music industry shenanigans. And, like, this artist has his music stolen by this evil producer who then makes this other artist perform it for his show. And I don't know.
Natalie:It's kind of like got, like, Rocky Horror vibes. I was like, what a perfect juxtaposition, you know, to have with this album. Alright. So there's 13 I think there's 13 tracks in the album, but I'm just gonna jump around and and touch on a few highlights. So the next one I wanna talk about is and if I skip one that you like, definitely dive in and let me know.
Natalie:But I wanna talk about pressure on the pulse. This song starts beautifully with just his singing voice, some strummed guitar chords, and then the whole song just kinda like pushes and pulls you with these contrasting slow sections and these driving instrumental sections. Let's listen to a bit. I
Tara:love that you chose this one as the next one to talk about because this is the next one that I really was just like, oh, what's this one called? You know, when I was listening to it, it was my next favorite of all of these songs.
Natalie:Oh, good. Yeah. I really, really love this. It's it's kind of frantic in places and but I think the tension building and the release is it's all very well balanced. Right?
Natalie:And it ends in this super cool, snappy little whispered rap moment. And I think that rap verse, lyrically, is one of my favorite moments on the album. And the message in the lyrics, it's so timely. He comments on the YouTube video, quote, pressure on the pulse is about making sense of the chaos around us. The The quiet side of the track asks if we would really be able to hear and understand the answer to why the world is so cruel.
Natalie:The opposite end is about figuring out how to continue forward if you never get an answer at all. To keep pressure on the pulse is to create meaning in a senseless world for yourself. And I think we can all relate to that
Tara:in today's times. So well spoken.
Natalie:He is. And I do appreciate that on most of his music videos, he pins, like, some kind of explanation for, you know, the the thought process behind the song. Okay. The next one I wanna talk about is Feel Change. So what a charming song this is.
Natalie:Morimoto says this one is about the difficulty of change, how hard it is to accept shifting we work in, relationships, and how our enthusiasm turns to cynicism, and how on the other hand we're frustrated with things that don't change quickly enough. And he posits that a remedy to that is to witness the inevitable change in nature, the colors of autumn leaves emerging for example, as a way to become more accepting of change in the time that's required. He is a thoughtful guy.
Tara:Mhmm. Yeah. Very thoughtful. Yeah. Very introspective.
Natalie:Definitely. And the the production on this track is really special too. The song, it's always changing. You've got, like, shifting time signatures, measures that extend a beat longer than expected, interesting transitions and phrasings. And, like, even his vocal style is kinda it's more lilted, like, he's just chatting with you on some loose melody.
Natalie:And he does this other effect where everything has all the vocals have this really strong chorus effect on it, and it's very spacious. And then the voice pulls into focus, and it sounds like he's singing right in your ear. It's just so sweet and gentle. So I just I think they made some really thoughtful choices in the production. Very gentle.
Natalie:I like I mean, that that word is how it feels. Mean, it's one thing to have a great song, and I do think it's a great song, but when you go that extra mile and you make you make the sonic experience like its own thing, I don't know. It's just really special, especially if, like, a a good set of headphones. It's it's the best feeling in the world. Right?
Tara:Definitely.
Natalie:Okay. So the very next track is called What You Say. So this has the coolest intro. It reminds me of Wendy and Lisa's intro for their song Everything But You, which is another tune I've always loved. I'll play a little bit of that.
Natalie:The song is wild. There's so much tension that builds up because we're not really getting any clear chord progression, you know, or at least there's no clear resolution rather, I should say. We never know where we're going, and you've got this tight triplet kick drum that feels on edge the whole time. And in the middle, we finally get to hear what that intro is foreshadowing because you get this massive killer drum solo with a layer of noise just sizzling on top. It's very intense.
Natalie:I really, really enjoy this song.
Tara:The drums remind me of Radiohead or something. Oh, yeah? This yeah. It's the it's the drum part from Weird Fishes Are Pegy
Natalie:Yes.
Tara:By Radiohead that reminds me
Natalie:of. Good catch. Okay. So I wanna talk about the track, Deeper. So this one is pushing more into jazz r and b territory here.
Natalie:It opens with him playing the sax, which is his first instrument, and then it moves. Yeah. Saxophone is his first instrument. He is classically trained. He learned saxophone from the legendary Charles Neville, and then he taught himself all the other instruments, just pretty cool.
Natalie:I think and he actually plays, like, most of the instruments on this album. Oh. So he's he's multitasking. Yeah.
Tara:This one is is definitely my 3rd favorite. And when I heard that saxophone coming in, I was like, oh, immediately, it just sounds so nice.
Natalie:It is really nice. It's like his voice. It's as, like, gentle and effortlessly kinda groovy. Just like his voice, man.
Tara:It's great. Good tone. Yeah. Good tone of the saxophone and the voice.
Natalie:Little inspiration for you on your sax journey, I hope.
Tara:Yeah. Definitely.
Natalie:No. It's great. So he starts with the sax. It moves into this nice laid back groove, soft backing harmonies. That's where I'm getting the R and B vibe.
Natalie:Funky bass line in there. His voice is really quite versatile. He's he's often referred to as a rapper, but he mostly sings on this album and the man can traverse many different genres with ease, I think, And then he gives us this incredible sax solo in the middle of the song, and I'm just like, yo, this dude is impressive. He just he covers so many sounds in this album, and none of it sounds contrived. He's just in the zone wherever he goes.
Natalie:And like I said, he's performing most of the instruments, just super talented. Very, very impressed with him. Lastly, I want to listen to Forsythia. So this is a dreamy gentle tune. Morimoto says, quote, when I travel to Japan, I feel different.
Natalie:It's like a peek into a world in which I might have grown up in a different dimension. It's surreal and dreamlike every time. And I think he communicates those feelings just spot on with this piece. It's it's as if he's examining his identity through the trees that grow in the various places he's called home. So the Forsythia is at his childhood home in Massachusetts, the sakura trees in Japan, and he actually sings this first in Japanese and then the magnolia tree outside his Chicago apartment and how he can feel rooted and know who he is amidst all the questions and chaos of the world.
Natalie:I just think it's a really nice metaphor for, you know, knowing oneself.
Tara:Yeah. It really is. Wow. See, we keep saying the same thing over and over. He's so thoughtful.
Natalie:He really is. Put a lot of
Tara:thought into these word words and lyrics and meanings.
Natalie:Yeah. I was like, I've gotta see this guy live. I went on his website and looked at his tour. He's not coming to Atlanta anytime soon. Rude.
Natalie:It's very sad. How dare you? Yeah. Next time. Yeah.
Natalie:So this song is just pretty. It's just very pretty. Arpeggiated guitar, simple piano line, some strings come through later on in the song. And it's a nice sort of cool down before the final track. You know, he's like gathering all the threads together.
Natalie:But, yeah, I there's one more there's one more song on the album as well. Well, what I only talked about maybe 5 or 6. There's 13 tracks and all, so there's plenty more. But that is not because I'm not into them. I think they are all worth listening to and all worth reading the lyrics for as well because each song has such a mindfully crafted distinct message.
Natalie:It's all very thought provoking while still feeling light and groovy. It's still very much a feel good album, and I just think it's a commendable balance that he's achieved with this record. And I need to go back and listen to the other 2. I've been I've been playing this album so hardcore, and I'm new to Sid Morimoto. I've I've heard of him.
Natalie:I feel like I've seen him perform on, I don't know, a a show or somewhere online or something. It just didn't quite stick. But this album has been on intense replay for me, but I think it's time for me to, like, fill in the blanks and and listen to some of his older stuff.
Tara:Yeah. I've I'd never heard of him until today, and he definitely seems maybe overlooked or very new, but it seems like he has some other records out. How many is this
Natalie:This is his 3rd studio album, but I think he's got some a strong indie presence, definitely. And people know who this guy is, you know, and they're paying attention
Tara:Yeah.
Natalie:As they should. I I think he's great.
Tara:And people will hear more from him or not more from him, but more about him.
Natalie:Yeah. And his videos are fun too. They're really very creative and kind of have that DIY artistic quality where you really have to pay attention because he's he's trying to tell you something. I like that kind of thing. You know?
Tara:Yeah. He's also very handsome.
Natalie:He's a cutie patootie. I'm glad somebody said it. Hello.
Tara:He looks like like a Japanese Evan Dando, actually.
Natalie:Oh my god. You're killing me.
Tara:Look at it. I mean, no.
Natalie:You're so funny.
Tara:Like a young young young Evan Dando, of course. No.
Natalie:He's super cute. Yeah, man. So we did it to kick ass albums.
Tara:I already know a tie in here.
Natalie:Do you hit me hit me.
Tara:Self reflection. Yeah. Yeah.
Natalie:Like, deep, candid, raw, vulnerable introspection that doesn't feel faked or forced. It's just it's just coming out of you. I feel that.
Tara:Yeah. So good. Yeah. Nailed it. We did it again.
Tara:I love it.
Natalie:What a good album of the month session.
Tara:Yay. And spring Has come. Is almost here. We're springing forward.
Natalie:It's sprung in. Yeah.
Tara:Awesome. Well, I can't wait to hear our next album of the month choices, but I will definitely be enjoying my reissued Alice in Chains album very soon, and I will be enjoying this, Senorimoto album as well.
Natalie:Attention everyone in the store. Please bring all your dead flies to Tara to commemorate this victory in finding this vinyl after 30 years.
Tara:I love it. Cool. Okay. Let's head home for the day. It's getting it's getting dark out there.
Natalie:It's getting dark, man. One thing about spring is it's just been constantly pouring.
Tara:That's true.
Natalie:I sleep though. I'm gonna get home, get cozy.
Tara:Yeah. Alright. Yeah. Okay. Bye.
Tara:Bye. Record Store Society is hosted by Natalie White and Tara Davies. If you'd like to contact the show, visit our website at record store society.com, or you can find us on all your favorite social media sites with the handle at record store society.