One Of These Things First

Another guest post from Spencer and a swerve in direction from the Balearic pop of Bruce Hornsby two weeks ago. Spencer's offering today is from a Canadian label and a Brazilian/ Canadian artist, Joao Leao covering Nick Drake.  

Spencer says...

'One of these things' is Joao Leao's lo-fi bossa take on Drake's dreamy next world poem. In many ways, his cover remains faithful to the original while still being quiet, measured and full of sorrowful yearning, but there's something else there too. The gently patted bossa box produces a beat that represents a kind of stealthy resilience. A defiant heart refusing to stop in the face of much provocation. As you listen you can hear the weariness but, there's wisdom too and that's what makes this one special'.

One of These Things First (Undui) is at Bandcamp, one side of a 7" single out on Toronto label Local Dish.

The collision of cultures going on here- late 60s English folk coupled with Brazilian bossa nova and released by a Canadian label dedicated to putting out 'eclectic analog recordings by local artists'- is exactly the sort of thing that we need more of- and that the internet is great for if you know where to look or have people pointing you in the right direction. Niche. Lo fi. Small scale. No borders.

Nick Drake's original is a thing of beauty too, a song from 1971's Bryter Later. The lyrics offer up all kinds of things, some real and some whimsical, that Nick could have been- a sailor, a cook, your pillar, your door, simple as a kettle, steady as a rock. In the end, he concludes he could and should have been one of these things first. Possibilities and missed chances. Regrets.

One Of These Things First

Spencer followed up his Joao Leao post with this from the same label...

'This one from the same label is just pure Balearic collage-pop joy. I can just imagine it being 'pick of the week' on the left field page in Jockey Slut back in the day...'

Encontro de Seca com Chuva by Nikitta (the track title translates as 'drought meets rain' according to my search engine). Listen to it here.

To my ears it also sounds like the sort of thing the Beastie Boys would have released on Grand Royal back in the 90s. The label hosted records by Luscious Jackson, Atari Teenage Riot, Money Mark and the Josephine Wiggs Experience and At The Drive In among others. Grand Royal was also a magazine, a goldmine of references, recommends and articles, from Ramen to Lee Scratch Perry, George Clinton to Evel Knievel, Viv Albertine and the mullet. The Beastie Boys were the kings of mid- 90s pop culture.