Album Review: Atmosphere- Jestures

Casual hip-hop fans may think the phrase “relatable rapper” is an oxymoron. Very few listeners share the glamorous concerns and luxurious intrigues detailed in the songs of stars like Cardi B, Drake and Gunna.

The music of Atmosphere’s Sean “Slug” Daly, however, addresses the same issues I face as a late middle-aged Midwesterner. We both allow money worries, parenthood and unhealthy habits to affect our self-esteem. Additionally, Slug and I take refuge in music obsessive nerdery.

The gimmick of Atmosphere’s 14th studio album Jestures doesn’t interest me. Each of the titles of the 26 songs correspond with a letter of the alphabet. But the beats crafted by Slug’s not-so-silent partner Ant make almost every one of the 71 minutes engaging.

Like me, Slug sometimes gets corny. Yet his flow is impeccable even when his rhymes induce eyerolls. Both of us dare to embrace a cautious optimism in an era of absurd hatefulness. Speaking of jestures, "Atmosphere finally made a good record."

Concert Review: Deftones, Idles and Barbarians of California at T-Mobile Center

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I had ninety minutes to slap together a 400-word concert review of Deftones’ performance at a Kansas City casino in 2011. Assigned a general admission pass by the daily newspaper, I had no choice but to immerse myself in the ecstatic ebb and flow of the pit.

The debilitating volume and turbulent physicality rendered me insensible. My assessment was almost certainly incoherent. Deftones’ headlining appearance at the T-Mobile Center on Wednesday, September 17, made me realize I needn’t have felt inadequate about the tight deadline 14 years ago.

The ephemeral sludge and psychedelic crunch of Deftones’ performances is rooted in vibe rather than intellect. Much as it did for 1,200 fans in 2011, the band induced 12,000 people into a narcoleptic trance last night. (My seat in a remote corner of the arena was comped.)

I had a similar experience at Dia de los Deftones in San Diego in 2018. My memory of sets by Future, Ho99o9 and Doja Cat is more distinct than my recollection of Deftones’ metallic impressionism.

The punks in Idles don’t share Deftones’ murkiness. In addition to explicitly addressing immigration and fascism, front man Joe Talbot led the crowd in a chant of “Free Palestine.” Here’s a clip of "Gift Horse".

If Idles embodies the spirit of ‘76, The Barbarians of California represent the crassness of television beer commercials. The magnificence of the band’s stoner rock riffs was negated by the cheesiness of vocalist Aaron Bruno. Most everyone lapped it up.

Album Review: Kassa Overall- CREAM

The first person I saw upon entering a punk-oriented show on Tuesday was a prominent jazz musician. As most people in Kansas City stick to their own lanes, I was pleasantly surprised. Kassa Overall knows that type of restrictive mindset is nonsense. His genre-fluid 2023 release Animals was my fourth favorite album of that year. I even wheeled a trip to Portland around Overall’s performance at Mississippi Studios. His intentions become even more explicit on CREAM. Joined by saxophonists Emilio Modeste and Tomoki Sanders, keyboardist Matt Wong and percussionist Bendji Allonce, drummer and bandleader Overall makes no distinction between classic compositions associated with the likes of Eddie Harris and Juvenile. I’m embarrassed I was initially taken aback by the jazz cat’s presence at the punk gig.

Concert Review: 10cc at Ranch Mart Shopping Center

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

A fox has been leaving scat in my yard for months. I spotted the culprit by the light of a pink moon while walking home from a 10cc concert on Thursday, September 4. It was a magical night in the suburbs.

Living eleven miles from the live music epicenter of Kansas City, I’m accustomed to driving twenty minutes or more to attend performances. Walking fifteen minutes to hear a storied classic rock band is a rare thrill. I unhesitatingly bought a $35 ticket to catch 10cc for the first time.

The current lineup includes original 10cc member Graham Gouldman and longtime bandmates Rick Fenn and Paul Burgess. While a third the audience of about 250 walked out after the rendition of “The Things We Do For Love” they’d been waiting for, the centerpiece of the 90-minute concert was the proggy gem "Feel the Benefit".

Americans still don’t know what to make of 10cc. While its music often resembles the output of Pink Floyd, Queen, Sparks and Frank Zappa, 10cc’s embrace of irony continues to make it stand apart. As a fan of outsider music, I didn’t like the show… I loved it.

August 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Národní divadlo Brno’s production of Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of August 2025

1. Linda May Han Oh- Strange Heavens
My review.

2. Aruán Ortiz- Créole Renaissance
Créolité.

3. Emily D’Angelo, Ben Bliss, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera- Tesori: Grounded
My review.

4. Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin- Ghosted III
Haunting.

5. Pino Palladino and Blake Mills- That Wasn’t a Dream
Too good to be true.

6. Sara Ruiz- Telemann: Fantaisies Pour La Basse de Violle
Viola da gamba.

7. Endlings- Parallel 03
End times soundtrack from Raven Chacon and John Dieterich.

8. The Good Ones- Rwanda Sings with Strings
Rapturous.

9. Miguel Zenón Quartet- Vanguardia Subterránea
Basement tapes.

10. Deftones- private music
Public record.

The Top Three Reissues, Reimaginings and Compilations of August 2025

1. Woody Guthrie- Woody at Home, Vol. 1 + 2
My review.

2. Anat Fort- The Dreamworld of Paul Motian
My review.

3. Antone’s 50th Allstars: 50 Years of the Blues
Tough Texas blues.

The Top Ten Songs of August 2025

1. Cécile McLorin Salvant- “What does blue mean to you?”
All blues.

2. Gabriel Jacoby- "Be Careful"
Voodoo.

3. Earl Sweatshirt- "Gamma"
Everybody loves the sunshine.

4. Patricia Brennan- "Antlia"
Lost in the stars.

5. Sam Gendel- "Stair 1"
Spiral.

6. Chance the Rapper featuring Jamila Woods- "No More Old Men"
Wisdom of the ages.

7. Carin León and Kacey Musgraves- "Lost in Translation"
Cómo se dice “fun”?

8. Margo Price and Tyler Childers- "Love Me Like You Used To"
A la Loretta and Conway.

9. Rodney Crowell- “Maybe Somewhere Down the Road”
Perspective.

10. Brad Mehldau- “The White Lady Loves You More”
Elliott Smith as chamber music composer.

The Top Ten Performances of August 2025

1. Horsegirl, Sweeping Promises and Godcaster at the Bottleneck
My review.

2. Seth Davis, Jeffrey Goulet, Alexander Adams, Shanté Clair and Krista Kopper at Grand Avenue Temple
My Instagram clip and snapshot.

3. Lil Wayne and Tyga at T-Mobile Center
My review.

4. Ann Pham, Sherry Dou and Ann Marie Rigler at the 13th Annual French Organ Music Festival at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Aaron Sizemore, DeAndre Manning and Brian Steever at the Music House
My Instagram clip.

6. Adam Galblum and Eddie Moore at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

7. Bobby Watson at Jay McShann Pavilion
My Instagram clip.

8. Kitty Degler and Robert Pherigo at All Souls Unitarian Church
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Mike Bourne & KC Boogie at Black Dolphin
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Moon City Big Band at Franklin Park
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Lil Wayne at the T-Mobile Center

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

A woman repeatedly howled “tha cawtah six” as she stumbled out of T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City following Lil Wayne’s concert on Tuesday, August 26. Her slurred cry resembled an anguished lament rather than a celebratory cheer.

I could relate. Even though I paid just $38.23 to attend ($20 for the ticket plus a $18.23 service fee), I shared her disappointment. Tunechi dedicated much of his ninety-minute appearance to promoting his lackluster new album Tha Carter VI. 

The star presented himself as a genial celebrity rather than as a vital artist. Repeating trite phrases as he shamelessly pandered to the audience of more than 10,000, the man billed as “the greatest rapper alive” was on autopilot.

Wayne touched on classics like "6 Foot 7 Foot", “Go DJ,” “Let the Beat Build” and “A Milli,” but the abbreviated versions of the songs were frustrating. Aside from the surrealism of experiencing metal belter Lucifena’s "Tyrant" at a hip-hop event, none of Wayne’s guests made a positive impression. One was manifestly wretched.

Also joined by a muscular drummer and an intrusive DJ, Wayne was half as good as he was in the same arena in 2016. Just 42, Tunechi is too young to settle for complacent mediocrity. While even lackluster Wayne is great, I expect more from one of the most consequential musicians of the past 25 years.

Album Review: Emily D’Angelo, Ben Bliss, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Metropolitan Opera- Tesori: Grounded

Emily D’Angelo dominates "Grounded". Jeanine Tesori wrote the opera with the mezzo-soprano in mind. The opera is incredibly potent, but it’s impossible to imagine “Grounded” without D’Angelo in the role of fighter pilot and drone operator Jess.

Five months after watching a broadcast of “Grounded” on PBS, D’Angelo’s star turn still has me reeling. The live recording of “Grounded” released by Deutsche Gramophon on August 22 offers a much different experience. Severed from D’Angelo’s magnetism and the dazzling stage production, the compositional strength of the opera is more apparent.

And in a significant development for proponents of all things Kansas City, local product Ben Bliss shines as Jess’ romantic partner Eric. He soars in arias including "I Didn't See You Coming". Moreover, I didn’t see the monumental performances of D’Angelo and Bliss coming.

Album Review: Linda May Han Oh- Strange Heavens

Ambrose Akinmusire’s latest album is exasperating. The blend of jazz, chamber music and hip-hop should have made honey from a winter stone a leading contender for my album of the year. Yet the presence of Kokayi spoils the project. I dislike the rapper’s flow, voice and lyricism. Das Racist’s Kool A.D. elevated Akinmusire’s Origami Harvest, my #3 album of 2018, but Kokayi sinks honey from a winter stone.

Rapping doesn’t intrude on Strange Heavens, the new album by bassist and bandleader Linda May Han Oh, trumpeter Akinmusire and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. Yet the trio of three of the most vital living musicians defy expectations as they play in and out as well as above and beyond.

The perfect groove of “Noise Machinery” is a smash hit in my little Kansas compound. Linking the works of Georg Philipp Telemann and Steve Swallow, the spectacular “Folk Song” is the polar opposite of “Noise Machinery.” 

Thanks partly to Oh’s refutation of the notion that bass solos are invariably boring, other tracks like "The Sweetest Water" are almost as memorable. Unburdened by an inferior collaborator, Akinmusire soars. My disappointment with honey from a winter stone is diminished by the celestial Strange Heavens.

Album Review: Woody Guthrie- Woody at Home, Vol. 1 + 2

Torrential rain made my pilgrimage to Okemah, Oklahoma, perilous a few weeks ago. I had to keep my eyes fixed to narrow two-lane country roads rather than leisurely perusing limestone quarries and Native American reservations as I neared the hometown of Woody Guthrie.

The white-knuckle drive was rewarded at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. The kindness of folkies- both the featured musicians and the fans- and the gentle sincerity of welcoming townies were just as heartwarming as the Guthrie covers I heard during my Oklahoma outing.

The August 15 release of Woody Guthrie- Woody at Home, Vol. 1 + 2 enhances my appreciation of the trip. The “home recordings made by Guthrie between 1951 and 1952 at his apartment in Beach Haven, Brooklyn, as a way to introduce himself to his publisher” further verify his status as the conscience of America.

Songs about immigration, greed, thuggery, liberation theology and lost love make Woody at Home, Vol. 1 + 2 the right album at the right time. These unadorned lofi recordings are absolutely essential and all-too relevant more than 75 years since they were committed to tape.

What to Listen for in Music

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I’m currently reading Aaron Copeland’s 1939 guide What to Listen for in Music. The admission is funny, I know. Haters are welcome to make lacerating jokes at my expense.

The composer’s reference to his "Piano Variations” compelled me to study the 1930 piece. Its revolutionary disjunctions shook me. If I hadn’t previously absorbed “Piano Variations,” what other fundamental milestones are unknown to me?

The penalties of being an autodidact are severe. I’m upset that “Piano Variations” has been concealed by the classical establishment, although I confess to not properly registering the piece on Daniil Trifinov’s 2024 interpretation.

Even worse, I’m now obligated to reassess my deeply felt opinions of the work of artists including Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor. I guess I need to relearn what to listen for in music.