#AprilCountry, April 16th, “I Saw the Light”, The The
Finally in my trilogy of Hank Williams as interpreted by others, here is Matt Johnson’s The The, with a version that is probably the least “country” of any I will…
Sacred Music from Notre Dame Cathedral, Tonus Peregrinus
A few weeks ago I posted tracks from this album as part of the ChoralMarch blog series. It is hard to believe the cover of this album – with Notre…
A short film about Curlews: “Keeper of the Call”
World Curlew Day is next Sunday, April 21st. The decline of the curlew, whose call truly merits that overused word “iconic”, is one of the most shocking natural history stories…
“Alienated America”, Timothy Carney, reviewed by James Bradshaw, Position Papers
Found this review extremely interesting. Some highlights: Carney begins his account of social alienation in an unusual location: Chevy Chase, Maryland. Far from being a depressed post-industrial town in the…
#AprilCountry – April 15th, “I’m so Lonesome I could cry” Dean Martin
From the sublime to the … well, you be the judge, but although I am very partial Dean Martin and kinda wish we had as relaxed, smoothly confident a singer…
Happy Birthday Loretta Lynn!
Loretta Lynn is 86 today, and here is her signature hit: Here is “Ain’t No Time To Go”, released last September and with a moving video (which slightly uncomfortably reminds…
A poem for Palm Sunday – “The Donkey”, G K Chesterton
I find Chesterton a somewhat mixed bag , and that applies to his poetry also, but this has always moved me deeply, and is all the more effective for concealing…
The Go Betweens, “Palm Sunday (On Board the S.S. Within)”
The Go-Betweens’ catalogue is a rich one, filled with songs that stay with you and come up at odd moments. Initially this song didn’t stick out much from the others…
Séamus Sweeney 