Tag: 200903

Album Reviews 20/09/03

Young, Planetary, Locations I Can’t Place (Hidden Home Records)

Sometimes when I’m wading through all the new promos, I picture myself like a wizened Gandalf, looking for a bright shiny band of hobbits who surprise me just enough to warrant stopping for an extra puff from my super-long pipe. These Idaho boys look like any other slip-on-clad emo band, and they sound like it too, at first, the nerd-boy vocals, the angular guitars, all that stuff, but this EP is possessed of an abundance of heart; they don’t sound like they’re just trying to impress the girl next door who works at the Rite Aid; they’ve actually listened to old emo, the real stuff. I mean, it’s either that or they’re bummed that they didn’t have enough money to sound super-polished (and boring), but I really hope it’s the former, I really do. “Dig” is wicked punky, and one of the guys does a little screamo shtick that isn’t terrible. I wish upon these young emo hobbits a long, exciting adventure. A

Norah Rothman, enough (Hidden Home Records)

This up-and-comer techno-folkie has made a few entry-level splashes in a country-wide (but mostly Los Angeles-centered) circuit that would make most local artists think they’d arrived in force. She’s fishing for Joni Mitchell and Norah Jones comparisons, which I’d be happy to provide; her songs are dandelion-puffs of pretty, her voice a hooty combination of both aforementioned ladies, with a latently powerful hint of Shawn Colvin. She’s politically active, for all that’s worth; in 2018 she founded Earhart, a playlist/interview platform dedicated to “uplifting female, trans, and gender-nonconforming music artists,” and that’s all well and good, but what this boils down to is a sort of chill-mode Goldfrapp for yoga class, chocolate mousse for the working woman’s soul. “Wolves” gets its slow-finger-snapping steez from Otis Redding, and there’s a cover of, believe it or not, Madonna’s “Borderline,” stripped down to a stop-and-start elevator-torch duet with dulcet tenor Blush Wilson. The bareness of the package gets a bit tiresome; I would have liked to hear a bit more effects, but I could certainly nap to it. B

Retro Playlist
Eric W. Saeger recommends a couple albums worth a second look.

The original intent for this space was to leverage the “opportunity” Covid was handing us to look back on some older reviews I’d tabled in these pages and perhaps shine a light on them again. Fact is, even though it’s now been months since I began writing this, it wasn’t until today that I broke into the vault (in other words, my now retired hard drive) and took a look at some really old stuff.

The measure of decent art is gauging how it’s held up to the test of time. Trends come and (mostly) go, but these past years have mostly seen a blur of disposable junk. If you ask me, it seems like the entire decade of the Aughts was one big kaleidoscopic series of really unpalatable trends, as bands stretched out DIY capabilities, efforting not just to put out the odd record on a lark but also to even build their own imprints. So an endless tsunami of records has been coming at us at once, with no rhyme or reason, the eclecticism made even more unintelligible by the widening gap between working-class kids (who generally listen to music for the music) and college-educated, postmodernism-indoctrinated hipsters (who only seem to like music that really sucks melodically, which, on face, often seems to be the point).

Out there in the online sea, there’s an old L.A. Weekly column about the Top 20 worst indie bands. Arcade Fire was on there, perhaps unfairly, and a bunch of others. They caught hell for it, of course; the humorlessness that’s part and parcel of hipsterdom simply doesn’t allow for rational debate about basic melodic worth. Back in 2007, I knew something was rotten in Denmark, but I nevertheless decided to recommend Klaxons’ Myths Of The Near Future. Remember those days, the “nu-rave scene,” and how mediocre dance music was so important? Talk about shaky ground. I said back then that the genre “may be on to something, but there’s plenty of room in this newborn genre for more angst and artisanship.” Funny how that never happened, isn’t it?

One thumb-up I’ll stick with is Acid House Kings’ Music Sounds Better With You, from 2011. A mixture of decent-enough twee and 1960s girl-group, the best thing that record did was avoid having xylophone on it for the most (mfw wishing I’d made this column about hipsters playing xylophones during the worst musical era in history, not that I can’t later on, if I feel like it). It was interesting enough as a Columbia House throwback, but yeah, there was xylophone on one song, which, thankfully, I completely forget.

If you’re in a local band, now’s a great time to let me know about your EP, your single, whatever’s on your mind. Let me know how you’re holding yourself together without being able to play shows or jam with your homies. Send a recipe for keema matar. Email [email protected] for fastest response.

PLAYLIST
A seriously abridged compendium of recent and future CD releases

• On Sept. 4 all the new CDs will come to the stores and pirate sites, and one of them will be Chemtrails Over The Country Club, the latest from Lana Del Rey. Technically it will be out on Sept. 5, because she wants to get on my nerves, but whatever, let’s put her under the microscope and have a few laughs, which is overdue I suppose. You see, cool tech-infused chillout music from quirky hot chicks already peaked decades ago with Portishead, Goldfrapp, Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, various Massive Attack collaborators, and two billion others, so I have been a bit lax in keeping up with Lana Del Rey, who, because she is hot, has gotten away with portraying a breathless 1950s-torch cartoon character up until now! But wait a minute, welcome to the Snark Garage, missy, where I, the veteran mechanic, will pop open my toolbox full of tools that even I can’t identify and find out the dilly, for my awesome readers! I’ll admit I liked her first album, the self-titled one from 2010, and still have it around here somewhere, I don’t know, but apparently fame has made Del Rey a little crazy, because all sorts of critics and haters have been busy labeling her as anti-feminist. OK, let’s lift the hood and see if the new single, “Doin’ Time” isn’t stupid. Hm, it’s got a little bit of a hip-hop vibe but no hip-hop beat, like this’ll probably be on the radio a lot. She’s singing about someone treating her like crap, which I don’t get, like, isn’t that what a relationship is about? OK, everyone, wash your hands in the messy oil-stained sink and we’ll move on to the next nightmare.

• Who’s Bill Callahan? I don’t know or care, but he performed under the name Smog until 2007, and Domino Records has released his music, which automatically means it’s probably not completely unlistenable. In the early Aughts, one of the guys from Tortoise helped produce an album, which made him sound less sucky, and now he is 54 and supposedly still hawking his bread-and-butter sound, lo-fi, repetitive alt-country. The new album, Gold Record, includes a song called “Breakfast,” which is composed of two boring chords, and he sings like your dad’s creepy friend from the autobody shop, yay bad music.

• Post-punk oldsters Throwing Muses are from Rhode Island, and I always thought they kind of sucked, which only means you probably like them, just to make me mad. What they used to sound like was Versus trying to write bad B-side songs for The Go-Go’s, but who knows, maybe there is something on their new album, Sun Racket, that won’t make me think of empty Coke cans full of cigarette butts on the side of the highway, which is basically what their songwriting has always evoked. Well well, “Dark Blue” is pretty nasty and no-wave, loud and stupid, better than anything I’ve ever heard from them before.

• Let’s take it home with the new Hannah Georgas album, All That Emotion! She’s Canadian and has won Juno awards and “music prizes.” Yes, but has she ever beat up a cab driver? That’s my rock star test. I think the new song, “That Emotion,” sounds like Francesca Belmonte at first blush, but if I listen to any more of this disposable chill-pop I will fall asleep, so forget it. — Eric W. Saeger

Local bands seeking album or EP reviews can message me on Twitter (@esaeger) or Facebook (eric.saeger.9).

In the kitchen with Debbie Burritt

Debbie Burritt of Pembroke is the owner of the Sweet Crunch Bakeshop & Catering Co. (sweetcrunchbakeshop.com, find her on Facebook @sweetcrunchbakeshop), a mobile food trailer offering fresh-baked cookies, cookie ice cream sandwiches and other treats. The trailer appears at events across New Hampshire, usually featuring around a dozen flavors of cookies that Burritt bakes on site, from traditional favorites like chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles and coconut macaroons to more unique options like maple cream and s’mores. Vanilla is the most common ice cream flavor that Burritt uses in her cookie sandwiches, but other flavors are available depending on the event and the time of year. Prior to launching the trailer, Burritt graduated from Newbury College in Brookline, Mass., with a degree in culinary arts before holding multiple chef jobs in Vermont, Virginia and the Boston area. The Sweet Crunch Bakeshop & Catering Co. will be a featured vendor at the Queen City Pride Festival at Arms Park (10 Arms St., Manchester) on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 2 to 8 p.m.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

It’s always either side towels or oven mitts, because I’m constantly pulling cookies out of the oven and rotating flavors out.

What would you have for your last meal?

I’d love gnocchi with wild mushrooms and roasted vegetables in a nice cream sauce.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

The Foundry in Manchester has really impressed me the most.

What celebrity would you like to have seen trying one of your cookies?

Julia Child would’ve been one for the books! In my off season I do cookie gift baskets and I have some celebrity clients, like [Shark Tank investor] Daymond John.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

My favorite is what I refer to as the Cowboy Cookie, which is basically everything and the kitchen sink thrown into a cookie. My version is an oatmeal cinnamon cookie with raisins, pecans and chocolate chips. Cowboy cookies are a big deal out west.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

I’ve noticed an uptick in gourmet doughnut places. Plant-based eating is huge now too.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I like to make pizzas with all kinds of veggies, always with onions and garlic but also sometimes with mushrooms, zucchini, peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. During the cooler seasons I love to make soup at home.

Maple carrot cake with maple cream cheese icing
From the kitchen of Debbie Burritt of the Sweet Crunch Bakeshop & Catering Co.

3 cups shredded carrots
4 eggs
½ cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup real maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

For the icing:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 pound butter, softened
3 cups 10X sugar
2 teaspoons maple extract
⅛ cup maple syrup

Combine carrots, eggs, oil, sugar and maple syrup, then add salt, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Grease and flour an eight-inch round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 to 60 minutes. Mix together cream cheese icing ingredients and spread between layers and outside of cake. Keep refrigerated.

Pair wine with tomatoes

What to drink with hearty sauce, gazpacho and more

Look, I know, when you think beach time and summertime, you don’t think about porters and stouts. I don’t either, except sometimes I do.

From May through September beer enthusiasts are drinking and talking about beers that are crisp, fresh, light and bright, and that’s great. I’m all for it. Most of the time in the summer, that’s what I want too.

You have to shake things up, though. You just do. Sometimes things just get a little too crisp and a little too bright, and nothing resets your palate in summer quite like a rich porter or stout.

Now, OK, I’m not suggesting that you crack open a Guinness at 1 p.m. on a blazing hot summer day at the beach. You’d regret that move. Not every day is a blazing, hot summer day at the beach, though. Especially in New England — though admittedly perhaps not this summer — you have plenty of days at the beach or at the lake or in the mountains where cool breezes stand out more than the fiery sun, so seize those moments and treat yourself to something a little richer.

Imagine taking in the summer sunset on a cool, clear New Hampshire evening with a decadent coffee stout. It’s truly hard for me to imagine something more relaxing and more satisfying than that. I want that experience right now and I think you should want it too.

This notion really came to me a week or so ago when I was on vacation enjoying a porter called “Portah” by Barnstable Brewing of Hyannis, Mass. The deep richness and complexity was unlike anything I’d drunk recently and it was invigorating as I, wait for it, took in the sunset at the beach.

Here are four stouts and porters you should try this summer.

Granite Stout by 603 Brewery (Londonderry)

This is big on chocolate and coffee and I really do think that’s what the doctor ordered. I think summertime is about enjoying something a little extra. Maybe you say yes to that ice cream run on a Tuesday night because it’s summer. Or maybe you have this decadent, delicious brew instead of the ice cream. (Or you have both.) At 8 percent ABV, this is one you can savor over the course of an evening.

Campfire by Throwback Brewery (North Hampton)

This is a smoked robust porter, which, yes, makes it the perfect accompaniment to a campfire or to hearty, grilled meats and barbecue, so says the brewery. This brew is in fact robust, but at 6.4 percent ABV this is much more palatable in terms of its heft than you might be thinking. You’ll pick up smoky notes for sure, along with pronounced rich malts, but again, neither is overpowering. In addition to grilled meats, I think this would pair well with a wide range of foods.

Draken Robust Porter by Kelsen Brewing Co. (Derry)

While the roasty, toasty malts are the defining characteristic here, I think you get a bit more sweetness on this one than you might expect. To that point, the brewery says, it has flavors of dark fruit and raisins, in addition to coffee, chocolate and caramel. This one has layers of complexity to appreciate and savor.

Black Cat Stout by Portsmouth Brewery (Portsmouth)

If you get this on tap, the brewery uses nitrogen, which produces a thick, rich, creamy brew boasting big flavors of chocolate and coffee. This one is pretty dry, and I mean that in a good way. I wouldn’t really refer to a stout as refreshing but this is very easy to drink and one I wouldn’t hesitate to order on a summer day or evening.

What’s in My Fridge
Things We Don’t Say by Wandering Soul Beer Co. (Beverly, Mass.) This was tremendous. Just one of those beers that makes you say, “Yup. That’s real good.” This is a “New England Double IPA brewed with flaked oats, white wheat, and aggressively dry hopped,” according to the brewery. It’s got the citrusy burst that you want, coupled with a balanced finish — and not overly bitter. Find this one for sure. Cheers!

Pimm’s Cup

Drinks with John Fladd

At this point in my life I’ve more or less made peace with my physical appearance, which can best be summed up as “rumpled.” I’m mostly OK with the fact that very few people will ever describe me as dapper. I will probably not be invited to sophisticated cocktail parties in the Hamptons, where I will casually lean against a doorframe, dressed in a crisp linen suit, making small talk with elegant women and men with monocles. And yet… There are days in late summer, when the heat and humidity collaborate to suck a person’s will to live right out through their pores, when the idea of drinking something civilized becomes extremely appealing.

That’s where Pimm’s comes in.

Pimm’s is a quintessentially British drink. Although brownish in color, it’s a gin-based liqueur that the Brits have sipped in a reserved sort of way for the past 150 years or so, while watching cricket or orphan-taunting, or whatever the Victorians were into. The traditional cocktail made with Pimm’s is called, reasonably enough, a Pimm’s Cup.

Here’s the thing about the Pimm’s Cup: It requires what English people call “sparkling lemonade” and a shocking amount of garnish. In the past I’ve always drunk a pared-back, minimalist version of the Pimm’s Cup — basically a Pimm’s and soda, with a single, important garnish. It has always struck me as being cold, crisp, and perhaps a little bit classy.

But, if I’m going to recommend a Pimm’s Cup, it only seems like due diligence to compare the two versions. And in the spirit of “in for a penny; in for a pound” it makes sense to go even a step further and compare both of them against an over-the-top premium version. So I did.

Sleek, Minimalist Pimm’s Cup
2 oz. Pimm’s
7 oz. plain seltzer
3” section of cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and bruised

1) In a tall glass, add ice, Pimm’s and seltzer.
2) Cut a three-inch section from a cucumber. Cut in half lengthwise, then lay it facedown on your table or counter. Spank it vigorously with the back of a spoon.
3) Yes, I know what I said. Just do it.
4) Add it as garnish to the drink, stir and enjoy.

Truth be told, this was the version of the cocktail that I was rooting for. It is crisp and classic.

Official Pimm’s Cup
2 oz. Pimm’s
5 oz. lemon soda (I used SanPellegrino)
2 orange wheels
2 slices cucumber
1 fresh strawberry, sliced
sprig of fresh mint

1) To a tall glass, add two slices each of orange, cucumber (unbruised) and strawberry slices. Feel free to cram them roughly into the bottom of the glass.

2) Add ice.
3) Add the Pimm’s and lemon soda.
4) Stir and top with a sprig of fresh mint.

I didn’t want to admit it, but this was a step up. Each garnish shone through and this was — OK, not superior to Version No. 1, but definitely more nuanced. Things become classics for a reason.

Trying Too Hard Pimm’s Cup
2 oz. Pimm’s
2 oz. homemade lemon syrup
5 oz. plain seltzer
2 orange wheels
2 slices cucumber
1 frozen strawberry
sprig of fresh mint

1) Make lemon syrup. Bring equal parts lemon juice and sugar to a boil with a pinch of salt. (Four lemons gave me about 1¼ cups of juice) Take it off the heat as soon as the sugar has dissolved, then steep the zest of one lemon in the syrup for about half an hour. Let it cool, then strain out the zest, which might make it bitter if you left it in.
2) Arrange orange and cucumber slices around the inside of a tall glass, so they look impressive from the outside.
3) Add ice.
4) Add Pimm’s, lemon syrup and seltzer. Stir gently.
5) Top with a sprig of fresh mint and a frozen strawberry. (The reason for using a frozen strawberry here is that when you freeze fruit, sharp ice crystals form that puncture the cell walls inside the berry. When you add the frozen berry to this drink, it looks like a proper, self-respecting strawberry, but it oozes strawberry juice into your cocktail, while still putting up a good front.)

The extra work and fiddly details were actually worth it. This version was definitely the sweetest of the three and if you are looking for that clean, pared-down taste, this is probably not the version for you. But the freshness of the mint and the flavors of the fruit really set off the taste of the Pimm’s itself.

After drinking three Pimm’s Cups, I feel as rumpled as I look.

Featured photo: Pimm’s Cup. Photo by John Fladd.
John Fladd is a veteran Hippo writer, a father, writer and cocktail enthusiast, living in New Hampshire.

The Weekly Dish 20/09/03

• Intown Farmstand extended: Intown Manchester’s Farmstand, which began on June 25 and was expected to run through the end of August, has now been extended through Sept. 24. The stand is held every Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. at Victory Park (Concord and Chestnut streets, Manchester), featuring farmers with Fresh Start Farms, a program of the Manchester-based Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success. Each week the stand has featured a variety of summer vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and okra, as well as ethnic crops like amaranth greens and African eggplant and selections from local businesses like Dandido Sauce and DJ’s Pure Natural Honey. Find them on Facebook @manchesterfood or visit intownmanchester.com.

• School Street Cafe opens in Dunbarton: A new cafe offering homemade sandwiches, baked goods and locally roasted coffees opened Aug. 15 at 1007 School St. in Dunbarton Center. The School Street Cafe is located where MG’s Farmhouse Cafe closed earlier this year, co-owners Lindsey Andrews and Carrie Hobi said. The menu features fresh sandwiches, like an avocado chicken panini, a chicken salad sandwich, a turkey club and a veggie wrap, plus pastries like cookies and cinnamon rolls, and yogurt parfaits with vanilla Greek yogurt, fresh berries and homemade gluten-free granola. Coffees are roasted at the Manchester-based Hometown Coffee Roasters and include a house blend and some rotating specialty blends. About a dozen flavors of Blake’s Ice Cream are available too. According to Andrews, soups will likely be introduced to the menu in the coming weeks. The School Street Cafe is open Wednesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with extended hours for ice cream on Friday and Saturday, from 6 to 8 p.m., now through September. Visit schoolstreetcafe.com or call 774-CAFE (2233).

• Virtual food festival a success: Organizers of this year’s New Hampshire Jewish Food Festival, which had transitioned into a takeout event only, reported “an unexpected but triumphant success,” according to an Aug. 28 press release. In lieu of a traditional food festival at Temple B’Nai Israel in Laconia, a drive-thru system was implemented for customers to pick up their items after placing their orders online. The takeout menu featured many of the popular items that had been featured at past festivals, all of which were prepared in advance and sold frozen. “Once the … website opened on July 27 [for online ordering], there was an overwhelming response from the community, near and far, which led to many items beginning to sell out,” the release read. “One of the biggest surprises was the demand for matzo ball soup. Historically, 20 to 25 quarts were sold annually. This year, customers bought 107 quarts.” According to the release, 150 customers picked up their orders over a five-day period, in 175 time slot options total. The temple hopes to resume normal festival operations in 2021.

Treasure Hunt 20/09/03

Dear Donna,
Attached are two photos of a lovely old print (the print part is 6” x 14”) and a closeup of the signature, which I can’t quite read. The frame, I suspect, is original. Any thoughts?
Phil

Dear Phil,
I have to start off by saying that I too tried to figure out the signature but didn’t have any luck either. It’s a tough one! But I think you are right that it’s in the original frame, and it is a pleasant subject. It looks to be around the 1900s, so that is something to start with. The value of a print is affected by whether it is signed, numbered and made by a specific company or attributed to an artist.

I think it is fair to say that content is very important and has to be pleasing for buyers to want to purchase it. I think the frame is important too. Yours appears to be a faux tortoise with a gold wood trim, clean and in good shape. I think even if it is just a mass-produced print the value would be in the $60 range just from appearance, and sometimes that is all we have to base it on.

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