Not sure what to call these entries that are more just the music I’ve been listening to over the course of the week, so expect some playing around a bit. Besides the physical stuff I listened to, it’s also a bit of new release music I will probably (inevitably) end up purchasing in some form or another, especially as it relates to the two in the title. Anyway, also RIP to John Sykes whose guitar work was always incredible no matter what killer band he was a part of. I also just realized there’s some rhyme in my title so let’s quit while we’re ahead and get to the playlist.

• Whitesnake – “Still Of The Night”
• FKA Twigs – “Keep It, Hold It”
• Dax Riggs – “Sunshine Felt The Darkness Smile”
• Testament – “Alone In The Dark”
• Agender – “No Nostalgia”

I still remember the first time I heard “Still Of The Night” from Whitesnake. Sure, my first thought was “this sounds a LOT like Led Zeppelin” but my second thought was “holy SHIT that guitar”, so it felt like a fitting tribute to John Sykes. Song and album still rock, by the way…I know I had a track from FKA Twigs in my last playlist, but her new LP EUSEXUA came out Friday, and I’ve been slowly getting absorbed into its dance-heavy grooves. Not 100% sure how I feel yet, but this track oozes atmosphere and, well..sex…Dax Riggs hasn’t released anything in 15 years, so you bet I was anticipating his new EP 7 Songs For Spiders. It’s deep, dark, and fuzzy and exactly what I wanted from him…

After a tough week I wanted to sit and just luxuriate in nostalgic music, so of course I turned to a lot of 80s metal and thrash. I have a review for The Legacy by Testament coming out tomorrow, so wanted to include a track from that as a sort of preview. Probably gonna hit a few more from them next week…As another distraction from work I decided to make playlists of my favorite non-metal albums for the past six years (I’ve been more diligent about my metal lists thanks to 9C than my non-metal, for shame) and I remembered I had listed Agender’s excellent No Nostalgia in 2022. Yup, that was correct, as this post-punk razor blade is sharp as ever…

• Prince Lasha Quintet – “Bojangles”
• Bobby Hutcherson – “Maiden Voyage”
• Frost* – “Western Atmosphere”
• Thin Lizzy – “Sha-La-La (live)”
• Judas Priest – “Tyrant”
• Blue Murder – “Valley Of The Kings”

I never heard of Prince Lasha before getting turned onto The Cry from my buddy Erik, and his multi-threat attack reminded me of Eric Dolphy, who he happened to sit in with on a few sessions for Dolphy’s Iron Man album. The Cry is a fantastic, left-turn album from 1962, incorporating free jazz in a way that’s never harsh, and a great place to get acquainted with the man’s work…Erik did double jazz duty this week, mentally forcing me to pick up Happenings, the 1967 album from vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, and featuring Herbie Hancock and Paul Chambers. Another stellar album: I loved getting deeper into albums that don’t feature horns as the primary lead instrument, so it felt fitting to feature their take on Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” here…

I talked about Frost* in my wrap-up of 2024 music, and as if the universe was listening the band released “Western Atmosphere”, a bonus track from Life In the Wires that was previously only available in Japan. Good stuff…There’s never a bad reason to include Thin Lizzy in any playlist, but I’ve been reading Martin Popoff’s panel book on the band’s discography and just finished the section on Nightlife, and wanted something from that album here, though I went with the live version from Live and Dangerous…Last mention of my buddy Erik, I promise! But we’ve been talking about our love of Judas Priest, particularly their early stuff after I reviewed the anniversary edition of Rocka Rolla. That brought up the fact that the anniversary edition of Sad Wings of Destiny is coming, so I’ve been listening to the original a lot, and wanted that represented here…Finally, we end with a track from Sykes’s Blue Murder, for completion’s sake. Dude could wail. Rest in Peace, sir.

Be safe, be good to each other. See you next week.