Friday 12 January 2024

Iechyd Da


 

Bill Ryder Jones is a West Kirby based singer, guitarist and song writer. He co-founded The Coral when he was 13 and has been making great music ever since. Last summer he organised and headlined Yawnfest at Future Yard in Birkenhead (his set is easily in my top 10 gigs of all time -  along with The Coral's gig at Future Yard in May last year). 

He has just released his latest album, Iechyd Da, and it is his best yet. The album has had a slew of excellent reviews in The Guardian, The Times, NME, etc, but perhaps the most insightful is the 4 1/2 star review by Laura Barton in Uncut magazine.   

... Iechyd Da feels a culmination of all he set out to do. It’s a record that beckons you over and invites you in, that rewards your faith and careful listening with moments of extraordinary beauty, unflinching honesty, a sonic exchange of love. 

 

Human Cumulative Culture & Innovation


 

After a long break...

This paper (HERE) by Maxime Derex is the best academic paper I have read for a very long while. It explains in the context of human cultural evolution the difference between the optomisation of shared human cultural activities and innovation in them.