Neil Young
Coastal: The Soundtrack
(Warners)
★★★★

THE soundtrack to the film of his 2023 solo US tour directed by his wife Daryl Hannah, Coastal showcases some deep cuts from Neil Young.

Surprisingly, the now 79-year old Canadian-American singer-songwriter includes three songs from Mirror Ball, his 1995 album with Pearl Jam. The epic acoustic version of I’m The Ocean hits particularly hard. Elsewhere he straps on an electric guitar for a great take on Prime Of Life (from 1994’s Sleeps With Angels), before really letting loose on the heavy Vampire Blues from his 1970s artistic peak.

Young’s advanced years imbue the pensive Come A Time and early career highlight I Am A Child with extra meaning, the latter’s vocals whispered for some reason.

“What’s your favourite planet?” he asks the audience before launching into Love Earth, his hippyish defence of the environment.

He’s still got it.

Ezra Furman
Goodbye Small Head
(Bella Union)
★★★★

TEN albums in and Ezra Furman is still making edgy, scuzzy indie guitar music.

Coming out of a period of bedridden exhaustion and pain, the Chicago-born singer-songwriter describes the set as “12 variations on the experience of completely losing control, whether by weakness, illness, mysticism, BDSM, drugs, heartbreak or just living in a sick society with one’s eyes open.”

Though perhaps a more personal record than her recent work, there are flashes of the socio-political punkish rock of the trilogy of albums kicked off by 2018’s cinematic Transangelic Exodus. Jump Out is an increasingly desperate rush of orchestra-assisted noise that crests with the narrator jumping out of a car, while A World Of Love And Care asks: “Who gets left out of your dreams of a good society?” before demanding “Dream better! Dream bigger!”

Where do I sign up?

Branford Marsalis Quartet
Belonging
(Blue Note)
★★★

FOR his Blue Note debut, US jazz royalty Branford Marsalis turns in a full album tribute-interpretation of Keith Jarrett’s hugely enjoyable 1974 instrumental ECM record Belonging.

Jarrett played as part of his super talented European Quartet, including a young Jan Gabarek on saxophone.

Listening to the 64-year old saxophonist Marsalis and his band — pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Justin Faulkner — it’s clear they have huge respect for the now 51-years old album. It’s not an exact replica — opener Spiral Dance is twice the length of the source track, while their take on the utterly exuberant The Windup never quite hits the spot like Jarrett’s group does (though I challenge anyone to keep still listening to either version).

The obvious question arises, of course: why settle for an agreeable facsimile when the original is so good?