We haven't done this since 2019's Nordic November, but it's time for another themed month: Obscure October. (Yeah, my absolute adoration of alliteration abides.)
Granted, there is some inherent difficultly in the proposition. Obscure is relative to all axes of proximity. Not to mention that for some, many records featured in Album Notes may already land in this category. That said, the idea is to dive deep and shed light on a few albums and artists that deserve far more attention than they have (at least in my mind) heretofore received.
Obscure October Week 1: The Grandad Galaxy
Date: July 14, 2011
Location: Stourbridge, England
The Skinny: Half instrumental, half catchy Beach Boys/Beatles vibes. All good.
What's in a name? The Voluntary Butler Scheme reads like something spit out of a band name generator. The musical product is far more intentional. Rob Jones released three albums under the moniker between 2009 and 2014. All are very much worth checking out, and while a favorite is hard to pick from the trio, The Grandad Galaxy stands as the best balance of production and songwriting. The 15 tracks are at once modern but old-timey, all the while dreamy and hypnotic. Whether or not the nonsensical name contributed to the lack of stardom, Jones delivered three quality records worthy of wider recognition.
![(each) PaytonZ [1g], J's](/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTM4Mjc2MCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f82803e92c5331762ca91051506cdeda79ef2b86/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6eyJmb3JtYXQiOiJwbmciLCJyZXNpemUiOiI0NjIgeCAzMTUiLCJjb252ZXJ0Ijoid2VicCJ9LCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--d7c54d32abcb6ca24ad06932a0e70673da4d7d48/1749238673_4c0b21f4-b9c6-42b7-a23e-9f2a991c7d8a.png "(each) PaytonZ [1g], J's")
![(each) Yum Yum [1g], Dynamite Stix Infused](/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTMxNzQ1OSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--9f067fa86cfbaee77e2c41c3285fab9701551ce1/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6eyJmb3JtYXQiOiJwbmciLCJyZXNpemUiOiI0NjIgeCAzMTUiLCJjb252ZXJ0Ijoid2VicCJ9LCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--d7c54d32abcb6ca24ad06932a0e70673da4d7d48/1740705938_32283bcc-a9dd-4d90-a91c-ea515a0c0021.png "(each) Yum Yum [1g], Dynamite Stix Infused")
![(each) Jungle Pie [.7g]](/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTM4NDQ5MCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--96e4c0e83db17599f27cf46e21355f3ef5101f70/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6eyJmb3JtYXQiOiJqcGciLCJyZXNpemUiOiI0NjIgeCAzMTUiLCJjb252ZXJ0Ijoid2VicCJ9LCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--4c2b017c858149e948c71bab98eeffb13053e24c/438918066_1e24b7c0-4804-45ae-9b06-6863af825f68.png "(each) Jungle Pie [.7g]")
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