The Lonely Goatherd Blog And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats - Matthew 25:32
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June 30, 2009
New CD Album Releases, 6-30-2009: Levon Helm, Brad Paisley, Wilco After 25 years between releases, Electric Dirt is the second Levon Helm album in three years. Dirt Farmer was an excellent album, and this is intended as a continuation of the idea. But whereas the last album was pretty distinctly acoustic and country, this album looks to fold back in a little more electricity and blues. He does an excellent version of Huey Long's famous "King Fish" campaign song that'll make you forget all about Randy Newman. One of the two songs on the album which he composed is "Growing Trade," which gives some reflection on the mixed feelings of an old farmer who has taken to raising marijuana. A body definitely needs to hear this record.
I can't quite remember any of his songs, but Brad Paisley has sold a buttload of records, so maybe I'm missing something. He's back this week with a new album, American Saturday Night. Maybe it's not just mediocre generic modern commercial country music.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new CD album releases:
Levon Helm Electric Dirt Vanguard Roots Rock, Country-Rock
Moby Wait for Me Mute Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Ambient Techno
Brad Paisley American Saturday Night Arista Contemporary Country, Neo-Traditionalist Country
Rob Thomas cradlesong Atlantic Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Wilco Wilco (The Album) Nonesuch Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
Ace Hood Ruthless Def Jam Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap
Jon Balke/Amina Alaoui/Jonhassell/Kheir Eddine M'Kachiche/Bjarte Eike Siwan ECM Avant-Garde Jazz, Modern Composition, Modern Creative
Beastie Boys Hello Nasty Grand Royal/Capitol Alternative Rap, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hip-Hop, Underground Rap
Dave Brubeck Essential Standards OJC Cool, West Coast Jazz
Ossie Davis A Voice Ringing O'er the Gale! The Orato Smithsonian/Folkways Spoken Word
Delain April Rain Roadrunner Progressive Metal, Goth Metal, Power Metal
Ensemble devotio moderna Loff unde ere (Praise and Glory): Music from Medingen Convent Cantate Medieval Vocal Music
Bill Evans Essential Standards OJC Post-Bop, Ballads
Fine Arts Quartet Faure: Piano Quintets Naxos Post-Romantic Chamber Music
Elliot Goldenthal Public Enemies [Score] Decca Original Score, Soundtracks, Vocal Jazz, Contemporary Blues
Vince Guaraldi Essential Standards OJC Mainstream Jazz, Cool, Latin Jazz, West Coast Jazz
Robin Guthrie Angel Falls Darla Experimental Ambient
David Jaurequi Fox Bat Strategy: A Tribute to Dave Jaurequi David Lynch Post-Rock/Experimental, Alternative Pop/Rock
Jefferson Airplane The Woodstock Experience Sony Legacy Folk-Rock, Psychedelic, Hard Rock, Album Rock, Pop/Rock
Janis Joplin The Woodstock Experience Sony Legacy Album Rock, Blues-Rock, Rock & Roll
Eleni Karaindrou Dust of Time (Music for the Film by Theo Angelopolous) ECM Original Score, Film Music
Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage [2009] Roadrunner Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal, Grindcore
Joseph Levine American Ballets EMI Classics Modern Ballet Music
Maino If Tomorrow Comes... Atlantic Underground Rap, East Coast Rap
Ted Nugent Motor City Mayhem: 6,000th Concert Eagle Album Rock, Hard Rock
Michael Schųnwandt Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5 Naxos Modern Symphonies
Evan Parker/Electro-Acoustic Ensemble The Moment's Energy ECM Improvisation, Structured Improvisation, Modern Composition
Art Pepper Essential Standards OJC Cool, West Coast Jazz, Bop
Santana Woodstock Experience Sony Legacy Latin Rock, Album Rock, Psychedelic, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock, Rock & Roll, Pop/Rock
Andy Sheppard Movements in Colour ECM Modern Creative
Sly & Family Stone The Woodstock Experience Sony Legacy Psychedelic Soul, Pop/Rock, Funk, Soul
Stephen Sondheim Road Show Nonesuch Musicals, Show Tunes
Rod Stewart A Night on the Town [Collector's Edition] Stiefel Entertainment/WB Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll, AM Pop
Rod Stewart Atlantic Crossing [Collector's Edition] Stiefel Entertainment/WB Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll, AM Pop
Tanya Tucker My Turn Time Life Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
Twisted Sister Stay Hungry: 25th Anniversary Edition Rhino Pop-Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Various Artists Now That's What I Call the 80s, Vol. 2 Sony Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop, Dance-Rock, Club/Dance, Contemporary R&B
Various Artists Now, Vol. 31 [US] Sony Legacy Pop, Dance-Pop, Pop-Rap, Contemporary R&B
Whitesnake Slide It In [25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] [Bonus Tracks] [CD/DVD] Geffen Pop-Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Arena Rock, Hair Metal
Whitesnake Slip of the Tongue [20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] [Bonus Tracks] [CD/DVD]] Geffen Pop-Metal, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Arena Rock
Johnny Winter The Woodstock Experience Sony Legacy Slide Guitar Blues, Modern Electric Texas Blues, Blues-Rock, Modern Electric Blues, Album Rock, Hard Rock
Wu-Tang Clan Playlist: The Very Best of Wu-Tang Clan Legacy East Coast Rap, Hip-Hop
New CD Album Releases, 6-23-2009: Pete Yorn, Ginuwine, The Lemonheads There's not one damned thing in the new CD releases that looks the least bit interesting to me. I can't even work myself up to snarky comments over any of this dross.
On the other hand, it's the first week of summer. Get away from the computer and the record stores and malls, and go have a nice picnic with some groovy Chuck Berry or James Brown albums that you already own.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Bjork Voltaic [CD/DVD] Nonesuch Experimental Rock, Electronica, Alternative Pop/Rock, Club/Dance
Jay Brannan In Living Cover RCA Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Tom Brosseau Posthumous Success Fatcat Indie Folk, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Chase Long Beach Gravity Is What You Make It Victory Ska-Punk
Cher 3614 Jackson Highway Atco Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock, AM Pop
Climax Blues Band Back to Back: Sense of Direction/Stamp Album [Bonus Tracks] Fuel 2000 Album Rock, Blues-Rock, Soft Rock
Al Cohn/Joe Newman/Freddie Green Mosaic Select: Al Cohn, Joe Newman & Freddie Green Mosaic Mainstream Jazz, Bop
Shawn Colvin Live Nonesuch Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Folk
Christina Courtin Christina Courtin Nonesuch Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Deer Tick Born on Flag Day Partisan Lo-Fi, Alternative Folk
Def Leppard Adrenalize [Deluxe Edition] Island/Mercury Pop-Metal, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Def Leppard Pyromania [Deluxe Edition] Island/Mercury New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Pop-Metal, British Metal, Heavy Metal, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Dinosaur Jr. Farm Jagjaguwar Indie Rock
Dream Theater Black Clouds & Silver Linings Roadrunner Neo-Prog, Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal
Kurt Elling Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman Concord Vocal Jazz, Vocalese, Post-Bop, Ballads, Modern Creative
Eryn Non Dae Hydra Lernaia Metal Blade Progressive Metal, Death Metal/Black Metal
Fast Life Youngstaz Jamboree Def Jam Southern Rap, Party Rap
Cartin Finch Bach: Goldberg Variations Deutsche Grammophon Baroque Keyboard Music arranged for Harp
Foreign Born Person to Person Secretly Canadian Indie Rock
David Frizzell/Shelly West The Very Best of David Frizzell & Shelly West Varese Fontana Honky Tonk, Country-Pop, Traditional Country
Elizabeth Futral Bach: Solo Cantatas Lems Baroque Vocal Music
Future of the Left Travels with Myself and Another 4AD Indie Rock, Garage Punk, Punk Revival, Noise-Rock
Girls at Our Best Pleasure Happy Birthday New Wave
Goatwhore Carving out the Eyes of God Metal Blade Death Metal/Black Metal
God Help the Girl God Help the Girl Matador Indie Pop, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Stefan Goldmann Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps [Stefan Goldmann Edit] Tapete Modern Ballet Music Remixed
Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul [Bonus Tracks] Stax Memphis Soul, Funk, Soul
Patterson Hood Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs) Ruth St Alternative Country-Rock, Americana
Hot Chocolate Every 1's a Winner EMI Pop/Rock, Funk, Disco
Jets Overhead No Nations Ada/Vapor Dream Pop, Shoegaze
Michael Johns Hold Back My Heart Downtown Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Blue-Eyed Soul
Elisabeth Leonskaja Chopin: Piano Works [Hybrid SACD] MDG Gold Romantic Keyboard Music
Love Is All Last Choice What's Your Rup Indie Pop, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Noise Pop
The Marvelettes Forever: The Complete Motown Albums, Vol. 1 Motown/Hip-O Select Pop-Soul, Motown
Eugene McGuinness Eugene McGuinness Domino Indie Pop, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
John Mellencamp Life Death Love and Freedom [Deluxe Tour Edition] [CD/DVD] Hear Music Heartland Rock, Roots Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Pop/Rock
Tift Merritt Buckingham Solo Fantasy Alternative Country, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Americana
Mount Eerie Dawn Buenaventura Press Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Alternative Pop/Rock
Alexi Murdoch Away We Go Nettwerk Soundtracks, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, British Folk
Laura Nyro Mother's Spiritual Columbia Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock
Brian Olive Brian Olive Alive Garage Punk, Indie Rock
Maria Joao Pires Chopin Deutsche Grammophon Romantic Keyboard Music
Original Soundtrack I Love You, Beth Cooper Abko Soundtracks, Album Rock, Film Music, Alternative Pop/Rock
Original Soundtrack Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen [Original Soundtrack] Warner Bros. Punk-Pop, Post-Grunge, Hard Rock
John Powell Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs [Score] Varese Sarabande Soundtracks
R.E.M. Reckoning [Deluxe Edition] A&M American Underground, College Rock, Jangle Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Royal City Royal City Asthmatic Kitty Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Alternative Country-Rock
The Sa-Ra Creative Partners Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love Ubiquity Contemporary R&B
Spooky Tooth Lost in My Dream: An Anthology 1968-1974 Esoteric Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock
Sunset Rubdown Dragonslayer Jagjaguwar Indie Rock
Al B. Sure! Honey I'm Home Hidden Beach Adult Contemporary R&B
Otis Taylor Pentatonic Wars and Love Songs Telarc Contemporary Blues, Electric Country Blues, Modern Acoustic Blues, Acoustic Blues
Tonic A Casual Affair: The Best of Tonic Polydor American Trad Rock, Post-Grunge, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Tortoise Beacons of Ancestorship Thrill Jockey Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental, Instrumental Rock
The Woggles Tempo Tantrum Wicked Cool Garage Punk, Garage Rock Revival, Instrumental Rock
New CD Album Releases, 6-16-2009: Spinal Tap, Jonas Brothers, George Harrison Lord help us, but Spinal Tap are Back from the Dead this week. This set includes something like five new songs with re-workings of Tap classics, ie "(Funky) Sex Farm." Plus, I'm to understand that the packaging has super cool Tap figures and a diorama and such. For new music, this is probably the place to start.
The Jonas Brothers are making hay while the sun shines with Lines, Vines and Trying Times. According to the record company product description at Amazon, it "showcases an incredible musical journey by the Jonas Brothers, as well as their growth as songwriters and musicians. They've incorporated horns into several songs, as well as harmonicas and peddle steel guitars." Wow - horns AND harmonica! That's like, experimental and stuff.
Let It Roll: The Best of George Harrison is the first solo all career inclusive best of set. I tend to find a whole album at a time of solo Harrison a bit much to listen to, but there are some classics among these 19 songs.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
George Harrison Let It Roll: The Best of George Harrison Capitol Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Jonas Brothers Lines, Vines and Trying Times Hollywood Pop/Rock, Teen Pop
Spinal Tap Back from the Dead A2M Song Parody, Musical Comedy, Hard Rock
Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara Tell No Lies Real World Afro-Pop, Worldbeat
Among the Oak & Ash Among the Oak & Ash Verve Forecast Americana, Alternative Country-Rock, Indie Rock
The Avengers Avengers CD Presents American Punk, Hardcore Punk, Punk
Big Star #1 Record/Radio City [Bonus Tracks] Fantasy Proto-Punk, Pop/Rock, Power Pop
Deanna Bogart 11th Hour Vista Piano Blues, Jazz Blues, Modern Electric Blues
Brokencyde I'm Not a Fan But the Kids Like It Breaksilence Pop-Rap
Michael Buble Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden [CD/DVD] Reprise Vocal Jazz, Adult Contemporary, Standards, Traditional Pop, Vocal Pop
Rodney Carrington El Nino Loco Liberty/Capitol Country Comedy, Contemporary Country
Dave Douglas/Brass Ecstasy Spirit Moves Greenleaf Post-Bop
Will Downing Classique Concord Contemporary R&B
Ha Ha Tonka Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South Bloodshot Americana, Alternative Country-Rock, Indie Rock
Don Henley The Very Best of Don Henley Geffen Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary, Singer/Songwriter
Hilltop Hoods State of the Art Universal Underground Rap, Alternative Rap
Incubus Monuments & Melodies Epic Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Metal
The Legends Over and Over Labrador Noise Pop, Indie Pop
Gunar Letzbor Antonio Bertali: Prothimia Suavissima, Parte Seconda Arcana Baroque Chamber Music
Major Lazer Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do Downtown Dancehall, Ragga, Club/Dance
Christian McBride & Inside Straight Kind of Brown Mack AvenueStraight-Ahead Jazz, Post-Bop
Clara Rodriguez Clara Rodriguez Plays the Music of Teresa Carreno Nimbus Post-Romantic Music for Piano
Stefano Scodanibbio John Cage: Dream Wergo Contemporary Chamber Music
Herwig Zack Essentials: Work for Solo Violin Avie Baroque, Post-Romantic & Modern Music for Violin
Andy Pratt Live at the Village Underground 2003 Renaissance Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Daryle Singletary Rockin' in the Country Koch Neo-Traditionalist Country, New Traditionalist, Contemporary Country
The Sippy Cups The Time Machine Snacker Disc Children's Rock, Sing-Along
Charlene Smith Feel the Goodtimes Warner Bros. Garage/House, Club/Dance, House
Tim Sparks Little Princess Tzadik Jewish Music, Klezmer, Jewish Folk, Contemporary Instrumental
Street Sweeper Social Club Street Sweeper Social Club SSSC Rap-Metal, Rap-Rock
Tiny Masters of Today Skeletons Mute Punk Revival, Indie Pop
Various Artists Chess in Concert: Live From Royal Albert Hall Reprise Musicals
Various Artists Kidzapalooza Koch Childen's Pop, Sing-Along
Various Artists Pleasure is the Law Boston Romantic, Modern & Contemporary Chamber Music
Rhonda Vincent Destination Life Rounder Contemporary Bluegrass, Neo-Traditionalist Country, Country-Pop
The Wallflowers Collected: 1996-2005 Interscope American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Hank Williams, Jr. Red, White and Pink-Slip Blues Curb Outlaw Country, Southern Rock, Contemporary Country, Traditional Country
Holly Williams Here with Me Mercury Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Masada Quintet Stolas: The Book of Angels, Vol. 12 Tzadik Avant-Garde Jazz, Modern Composition
New CD Album Releases, 6-9-2009: Chickenfoot, Tracey Lawrence, Black Eyed Peas The big name item this week is an eponymous supergroup album from the newly minted Chickenfoot. It features two alum of Van Halen - Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, along with fancy guitar whiz Joe Satriani. On the one hand, while Joe Satriani has always had great technical instrumental facility, he has never been as memorable as prime Eddie Van Halen. On the other hand, at this point Satriani has not destroyed himself with booze, and can still play as good as ever.
Thus, on the basis of a couple of listens, I'd say this is the best Van Halen record in about 20 years. I'm not particularly impressed with the song compositions, but is fancy songwriting what a likely fan of this outfit is really looking for? Even as a skeptic of this kind of stuff, I consider it fairly listenable.
Tracey Lawrence swims against the modern country music grain this week with a gospel album, The Rock. Haven't heard the album, but titles like "Where Heaven Is" and "The Book You Never Read" sound more interesting than he pre-processed country food product engineered for commercial country radio.
The Black Eyed Peas are back with their fifth album of vacuity, The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies). "Boom Boom Pow" is a big #1 hit single. Why escapes me, but knock yourselves out if you're into it.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) Interscope Pop, Club/Dance, Dance-Pop, Pop-Rap
British Sea Power Man of Aran [CD/DVD] Rough Trade Original Score, Film Music, Indie Rock
Chickenfoot Chickenfoot Ear Arena Rock, Hard Rock
Kasabian West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum RCA/Red Ink Indie Rock, Britpop
Rhett Miller Rhett Miller Shout Factory Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
Mos Def The Ecstatic Downtown Underground Rap, East Coast Rap, Alternative Rap, Political Rap
Sonic Youth The Eternal Matador Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Ada Adaptations: Mixtape #1 Kompakt Club/Dance, Techno, House
Trey Anastasio & Don Hart Time Turns Elastic Rubber Jungle Experimental Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Anti-Flag People or the Gun Side One Dummy Punk Revival, Hardcore Punk
The Autumn Offering Requiem Victory Heavy Metal, Alternative Metal
New CD Album Releases, 6-2-2009: Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Iggy Pop Elvis Costello is back this week with Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. It is his first acoustically based album since King of America in 1986, perhaps his finest album. Like that classic, this was produced by T Bone Burnett, who also gets co-writing credits on two tracks. This album includes new country string arrangements of a couple of old and lesser Elvis songs. It also includes "I Felt the Chill," co-written with Loretta Lynn. It also includes a Bing Crosby waltz, "Changing Partners." It is currently as high as #5 in Amazon best sellers.
Preliminaires is the new album by Iggy Pop, apparently containing jazzy and French flavors. He as much as sings "Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves)" in French. I find this curious, in that he seems barely intelligent enough to speak intelligibly in his native English. Groovy album cover though.
Neil Young Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972 is a big ol' honkin' comprehensive eight CD set. It goes back to his first recordings in Canada with the Squires, through Buffalo Springfield and CSNY and Harvest. This bad boy includes some 40 previously unreleased songs, and all kinds of poster and notes and goodies.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new CD album releases:
Elvis Costello Secret, Profane & Sugarcane Hear Music Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Country-Folk
Dave Matthews Band Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King RCA Jam Bands, American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Iggy Pop Preliminaires Astralwerks Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Rancid Let the Dominoes Fall Epitaph Punk-Pop, Punk Revival, Ska-Punk
Neil Young Neil Young Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972 Warner Bros. Album Rock, Folk-Rock, Hard Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Country-Rock, Pop/Rock
Piotr Anderszewski Piotr Anderszewski at Carnegie Hall Virgin Classics Baroque, Romantic & Modern Keyboard Music
Ryan Bingham/The Dead Horses Roadhouse Sun Lost Highway Americana, Country-Folk
Blank Dogs Under and Under In The Red Indie Rock, Lo-Fi
Jeff Buckley Grace: Live Around the World Sony Legacy Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Marshall Crenshaw Jaggedland 429 Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Eva Leon Turina: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; El poema de una sanluquena Naxos Modern Music for Violin & Piano
Julie London Sings the Choicest of Cole Porter DRG Traditional Pop, Torch Songs, Cool
The Meatmen Cover the Earth Meat King Hardcore Punk, Punk
Kent Nagano Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 [Hybrid SACD] Sony Post-Romantic Symphony
Paolo Nutini Sunny Side Up Atlantic Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Iain Quinn Variations on America Chandos Modern & Centemporary Organ Music
Steve Reich Reich: Four Organs; Phase Patterns Felmay Contemporary Chamber Music
Willy Porter How to Rob a Bank Weasel Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Soft Rock
Louis Prima Hey Boy! Hey Girl!/Swingin' Pretty DRG Traditional Pop, Jump Blues, Dixieland, Early R&B
Jerry Reed When You're Hot 1967-1983 Raven Country-Pop, Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan
Duke Robillard Stomp! The Blues Tonight Stony Plain Jazz Blues, Modern Electric Blues
Perry Robinson Two Voices in the Desert Tzadik Contemporary Jazz
Sad Day for Puppets Unknown Colors Indie Pop, Dream Pop, Noise Pop
Frank Sinatra Classic Sinatra II Capitol Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop, Standards, Swing, Ballads, Vocal Pop, Big Band
The Sounds Crossing the Rubicon Original Signal Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival
Taking Back Sunday New Again Warner Bros. Emo, Post-Hardcore
311 Uplifter Volcano Rap-Rock, Rap-Metal, Funk Metal, Alternative Pop/Rock
Unladylike Unladylike Radio Def Jam Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap, Pop-Rap
Various Artists Music from the Original Soundtrack and More: Woodstock Rhino/Cotillion American Trad Rock, Guitar Virtuoso, Boogie Rock, Folk-Rock, Psychedelic, Political Folk, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock, Rock & Roll, Funk
New CD Album Releases, 5-26-2009: Marilyn Manson, Mandy Moore, Michelle Shocked In 2001, The Onion parodied Marilyn Manson as conducting a "boo" tour in an ineffectual effort to continue outraging the public:
Linda Schmidt was preparing to drive her daughter Alyssa to a Girl Scouts meeting when she found Manson standing on her porch draped in sheep entrails.
"I knew who he was, but I was kind of busy and didn't really have time to chat," Schmidt said. "He just kept standing there staring at me, expecting me to react in some way."
Added Schmidt: "I tried to be nice and humor him a little. I said, 'Yesiree, that sure is some shocking satanic imagery, no doubt about it. And that one eye with no color in the pupil, very disturbing. I'd sure like to suppress that.' I mean, what do you say to Marilyn Manson?"
The anti-christ incarnate Brian Warner is back this week with The High End of Low. Considering that he's never made a listenable song and he's more intellectually vacuous than the Spice Girls or even the Dixie Chicks, I'll have to admit to not having listened to this album.
But just on the basis of the song titles, I'd venture an educated guess that this guy is now far beyond even the powerful satirical reach of The Onion. "I Want to Kill You Just Like They Do in the Movies" and "Arma-goddamn-motherf*&^in-geddon" sure sound like a threat to my petty little bourgeois worldview. I'll probably be up all night thinking how I can deny his horrible truths. Ryan Adams' wife has a new album out. Amanda Leigh is the new album from Mandy Moore. She's been making records now for 10 years. Good for her.
The new Michelle Shocked album is Soul of My Soul. It has been described as mostly an album of more or less pop oriented love/relationship songs. Of course, you couldn't very well have an album from ol' girl without some cheesy left wing braying. To that end, you might start with "Ballad Of The Battle Of The Ballot And The Bullet Part I: Ugly Americans." Apparently George Bush was a really bad guy. Thanks for clueing us up there, honey.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Grizzly Bear Veckatimest Warp Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Marilyn Manson The High End of Low Nothing Industrial Metal, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal
Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Storefront Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Glassnote Indie Rock, Alternative Dance
A's The A's/A Woman's Got the Power American Beat Power Pop, New Wave
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women Yep Roc Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Country-Rock
Beausoleil/Michael Doucet Make the Veiller Fuel 2000 Traditional Cajun, Zydeco
Black Moth Super Rainbow Eating Us Graveface Indie Electronic, Indie Pop
Bloodhorse Horizoner Translation Los Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal
Boyz II Men Cooleyhighharmony [Expanded Edition] Motown Contemporary R&B, New Jack Swing, Adult Contemporary R&B
James Brown The Singles, Vol. 7: 1970-1972 Hip-O Select/Polydor Funk, Soul
Dave Brubeck Time Out [50th Anniversary Legacy Edition] Sony Legacy Cool, West Coast Jazz
The Gary Burton Quartet Revisted Quartet Live Concord Post-Bop
Bury Your Dead It's Nothing Personal Victory Hardcore Punk, Death Metal/Black Metal
City Center City Center Type Indie Electronic, Indie Pop
Crash Kings Crash Kings Motown Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, American Trad Rock
Creedence Clearwater Revival The Concert Fantasy Rock & Roll, Pop/Rock, Country-Rock
Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival Covers the Classics Fantasy Pop/Rock, Rock & Roll, AM Pop
Miles Davis Sketches of Spain [50th Anniversary Legacy Edition] Sony Legacy Cool
Dimitri from Paris/The Idjut Boys Night Dubbin' K7 Post-Disco, Club/Dance, Contemporary R&B, Funk
Thomas Dolby The Singular Thomas Dolby EMI New Wave, Synth Pop, Pop/Rock
Electrik Red How to Be a Lady, Vol. 1 Def Jam Contemporary R&B, Pop, Dance-Pop
Sammy Hagar Street Machine [Bonus Tracks] Rock Candy Arena Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Pop-Metal, Album Rock
Philippe Herreweghe Bach: Mass in B minor Virgin Baroque Choral Music
Hillsong United a_CROSS//the_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls Columbia Praise & Worship, Alternative CCM
The Intelligence Fake Surfers In The Red Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock, Lo-Fi
Kronos Quartet Floodplain Nonesuch Contemporary Chamber Music
Gary Lewis & the Playboys Complete Liberty Singles Collectors' Choice Music AM Pop
Luciana Souza Tide Verve Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova
Sunn 0))) Monoliths and Dimensions Southern Lord Doom Metal, Experimental Rock, Noise, Experimental, Heavy Metal, Avant-Garde
Super Furry Animals Dark Days/Light Years Rough Trade Britpop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Pop
Various Artists The Man of Somebody's Dreams: A Tribute to the Songs of Chris Gaffney Yep Roc Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
Various Artists Mark O'Connor: String Quartets Nos. 2 & 3 OMAC Contemporary Chamber Music
Various Artists Not Given Lightly: A Tribute to Giant Golden Book of New Zealand's Alternative Music Morr Music/M.M. Indie Pop, Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
Various Artists Twenty First Century Twenty First Year Luaka Bop Psychedelic Soul, Foreign Language Rock, Brazilian Pop, Tropicalia, Obscuro, Samba, Latin Pop, MPB, Neo-Psychedelia
Johnny Winter The Johnny Winter Anthology Shout Slide Guitar Blues, Modern Electric Texas Blues, Blues-Rock, Modern Electric Blues, Album Rock, Hard Rock, Boogie Rock, Arena Rock, Electric Texas Blues, Electric Blues
Wand Hard Knox Ecstatic Peace Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock
New CD Album Releases, 5-19-2009: Tori Amos, Eminem, Steve Martin Having pretty much disappeared up her own bellybutton with the last couple of high concept albums, Tori Amos returns this week with Abnormally Attracted to Sin. It would appear to be something of a return to the crazy concept of just writing a batch of good songs. It is the #4 album currently at Amazon.
Eminem's Relapse is the #2 album at Amazon. It is his first album in several years. This guy SO needs some new frickin' material. This "We Made You" is probably the worst excuse for a song I've ever, ever heard from the guy.
Wow, a guest shot from Jessica Simpson! Calling down the biggest talent around to work with, huh? And this tuneless and hookless "song" is so completely instant ramen noodles Eminem - pointless random cracks about random boring celebrities of the moment.
Plus, the utterly and totally self-referential absorption of his words is just stupid, especially when his recent life experience is so stupid and goddam cliched. Why in the world would a single person want to hear about Eminem re-marrying the ex and have a multi-year relapse into drug addiction? As a rather greater artist put it in his "Rehab" song, "I've seen this flick before and it gets boring." The Slim Shady shtick has been thoroughly, 110% run into the frickin' ground. The poor dead cow has been beaten into a putrid and decomposing pulp no longer recognizable as a cow. Plus, this BS sounds increasingly stupid as he edges toward middle age.
In the range of actual tunes and musicianship, herald again this week the regular release on Rounder of Steve Martin's The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo.
These 15 songs are all Martin compositions, many of them instrumentals. "Daddy Played Banjo" is a beautiful and sad lament, and "Late for School" is a wonderous delight. In his 60s, Steve Martin has finally released the album he's waited all his life for. Perhaps he'll get us maybe one more before he dies, which will likely be in less than another 60 years. This is MUCH better use of his talents than most of the BS cotton candy family comedy films.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Tori Amos Abnormally Attracted to Sin Universal Republic Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Busta Rhymes Back on My B.S. Universal Motown Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap
Jarvis Cocker Further Complications Rough Trade Indie Rock, Britpop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Eminem Relapse Aftermath/Interscope Hardcore Rap
Iron & Wine Around the Well Sub Pop Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi
Method Man/Redman Blackout! Vol. 2 Def Jam Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap
John Luther Adams John Luther Adams: The place we began Cold Blue Music Contemporary Music for Electronics & Tape
Artango Metropole / Un soir Virgin Classics Contemporary Chamber Music
Au Revoir Simone Still Night, Still Light Our Secret Indie Pop, Indie Electronic, Dream Pop
The Beach Boys Summer Love Songs Capitol AM Pop, Surf, Early Pop/Rock, Sunshine Pop, Pop/Rock
Ed Bruce The Tennessean/Cowboys and Dreamers Hux Outlaw Country, Progressive Country, Traditional Country
Johnny Burnette Johnny Burnette and More Kings of Rockabilly Primo Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
CIV The Complete Discography Equal Vision Punk Revival, Alternative Pop/Rock
CKY Carver City Roadrunner Alternative Metal, Post-Grunge
Carbon Leaf Nothing Rhymes with Woman Vanguard Jam Bands, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Roots Rock
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds The Firstborn Is Dead Mute Post-Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock
Nick Cave From Her to Eternity [Bonus Tracks/Bonus DVD] Mute Post-Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock
Nick Cave Kicking Against the Pricks [Bonus Tracks/Bonus DVD] Mute Alternative Pop/Rock
Nick Cave Your Funeral...My Trial [Bonus Tracks/Bonus DVD] Mute Post-Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock
Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood Live from Madison Square Garden Reprise/Duck Blues-Rock, Modern Electric Blues, Album Rock, Pop/Rock
Dane Cook Isolated Incident Comedy Central Observational Humor, Standup Comedy
The Curious Mystery Rotting Slowly K Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock
The Datsuns Head Stunts Cooking Vinyl Garage Punk, Hard Rock
Drama Gangsta Grillz: The Album, Vol 2 AMG/Grand Hustle/Atlantic Hardcore Rap, Gangsta Rap
Drop Nineteens Delaware Cherry Red Shoegaze, Alternative Pop/Rock
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band Palace and Stage Side One Dummy American Trad Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
Emerson String Quartet Intimate Letters Deutsche Grammophon Modern Chamber Music
Family Force 5 Dance or Die with a Vengeance Transparent Rap-Rock, Rap-Metal, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Field Yesterday and Today Kompakt/Anti Ambient Techno, Experimental Techno, Techno
Jim Ford Big Mouth USA: The Unissued Paramount Album Bear Family Singer/Songwriter, Country-Rock, Pub Rock
Johnny Griffin The Best of Johnny Griffin Riverside Hard Bop
Headless Heroes The Silence of Love Headless Heroes Indie Pop
Hot Chip A Bugged Out Mix New State Indie Electronic, Indie Rock, Alternative Dance
Mat Kearney City of Black and White Aware/Columbia/Inpop Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Lenny Kravitz Let Love Rule [20th Anniversary Edition] Virgin Album Rock, American Trad Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Pop/Rock, Rock & Roll
Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard 'Em Are I Rough Trade Alternative Folk, Anti-Folk
Frank London/Lorin Sklamberg Tsuker-Zis Tzadik Jewish Music
Joe Lovano Us Five Folk Art Blue Note Post-Bop
Jason Lytle Yours Truly, The Commuter Anti Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock
Steve Martin The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo Rounder Contemporary Bluegrass, Progressive Bluegrass
Susanna Malkki Michael Jarrell: Cassandre Kairos Contemporary Opera
The Oak Ridge Boys The Boys Are Back Spring Hill Country-Pop, Country-Rock
Original TV Soundtrack True Blood [Original TV Soundtrack] Elektra Swamp Blues, Neo-Traditionalist Country, Alternative Country-Rock, Indie Rock, Soundtracks, New Orleans R&B, Alternative Pop/Rock, Country-Rock
U.S. (United Soul) U.S. Music with Funkadelic Westbound Funk
Passion Pit Manners Columbia/French Kiss Indie Electronic, Indie Pop
Roberto Juan Rodriguez Timba Talmud Tzadik Jewish Music, Avant-Garde Jazz, Hebrew, Son, Rhumba, Klezmer, Latin Folk, Mambo, New York Salsa, Salsa, World Fusion
New CD Album Releases, 5-12-2009: Green Day, Steve Earle, Louvin Brothers Steve Earle has a new album Townes, consisting of his interpretations of 15 songs by his hero Townes Van Zandt, including "Pancho and Lefty." Van Zandt was considered a country songwriter, and Earle started as country, leaning more toward folk in recent years. Nonetheless, this album (currently as high as #11 at Amazon) was produced by the Dust Brothers and features the guitar talents of Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine.
The #1 album at the moment is 21st Century Breakdown, the first studio album in five years from Green Day. It is the followup to American Idiot, which for reasons incomprehensible to me was a huge hit and sold over 10 million copies. It was even well regarded critically - presumably for the ignorant anti-American sentiments expressed. This album is said to represent more of a big statement 70s arena rock Queen influence rather than the Who based power pop of the last album.
The most likely thing that I would spend money on this week is the re-mastered version of the Louvin Brothers 1956 album Tragic Songs of Life on Rounder. Along with the original 12 songs, this includes four bonus gospel recordings.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Steve Earle Townes New West Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Americana, Alternative Country-Rock
Green Day 21st Century Breakdown Reprise Punk-Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Punk Revival, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Maximo Park Quicken the Heart Warp Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Britpop
Paul Wall Fast Life SwishaHouse/Asylum Hardcore Rap, Gangsta Rap, Dirty South, Southern Rap
The Amazing Rhythm Aces Their Very Best Varese Fontana Country-Rock, Soft Rock
Anvil Forged in Fire Attic Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash
Apartment House Peter Garland: String Quartets Cold Blue Music Contemporary String Quartets
Arctic Monkeys At the Apollo Warner Bros. Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Better Than Ezra Plays Paper Empire Better Than Ezra American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Kaoru Bingham Chopin: 24 Preludes; Busoni: Ten Variations on a Chopin Prelude; Mompou: Variations on a theme of Chopin Meridian Romantic & Modern Keyboard Music
Bricolage Bricolage Slumberland New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Pop
Cam'ron Crime Pays Diplomatic Man/Asylum Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap
Children Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World Kemado Heavy Metal
The Church Untitled #23 Second Motion Neo-Psychedelia, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Stanley Clarke Trio Jazz in the Garden Heads Up Contemporary Jazz, Mainstream Jazz
The Crystal Method Divided by Night Tiny e Electronica, Club/Dance, Funky Breaks
DJ Vadim U Can't Lurn Imaginashun BBE Left-Field Hip-Hop, Underground Rap, Downbeat, Ambient Breakbeat
James Luther Dickinson Dinosaurs Run in Circles Memphis Int'l Contemporary Blues, Memphis Blues
New CD Album Releases, 5-5-2009: New York Dolls, Jewel, Cracker Haven't actually heard any of this new stuff, but the most likely listenable item would be from Jewel, a little something different. She's recorded an album of Lullaby songs for children on the Fisher Price label. This consists of 10 new Jewel compositions, plus five standards, including "Over the Rainbow." I don't know if this would be a great artistic statement, but should at least be listenable. If nothing else, it would probably be superior to some damned Barney album or such for your chillen.
The New York Dolls have a new album this week, 'Cause I Sez So. They were a proto-punk band that released two albums in 1973 and 1974, neither one of which was worth a damn. David Johansen made at least somewhat more interesting and listenable records under his Buster Poindexter personnae.
But they were considered forerunners of punk rock a couple of years before the Ramones et al, and some people inexplicably thought they were something special. Then again, a lot of people think that Mariah Carey is good. Personally, I'd rather listen to Mariah Carey, even though she's the official Public Enemy #1.
Anyway, lacking anything else to do with their lives, part of the Dolls band has regrouped. This is their second new album in three years, and reunites the band with Todd Rundgren, producer of their debut album. Again, in fairness, I haven't heard this album. It could possibly be 10x better than their debut, and thus minimally worth hearing - but I'm not holding my breath.
Between Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, David Lowery has come up with exactly ONE truly memorable song, "Low." But that's one more classic than most bands come up with, including some that have sold a lot more records.
Cracker is back with a new album, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey. There's a live performance video of the single "Turn on, Tune in, Drop Out with Me" on the Amazon page. It's minimally listenable, if you've got a jones for generic American rock.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Ciara Fantasy Ride Laface Contemporary R&B, Pop
Ben Harper and Relentless7 White Lies for Dark Times Virgin Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
The Horrors Primary Colours XL Indie Rock, Shoegaze
New York Dolls 'Cause I Sez So Rhino Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band Outer South Merge Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Peaches I Feel Cream XL Indie Electronic, Electro-Techno
The Vaselines Enter the Vaselines Sub Pop Indie Pop, Twee Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Akron/Family Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free Dead Oceans Experimental Rock, Indie Rock
Paul Carrack I Know That Name Carrack UK Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary
Toni Childs Keep the Faith Hanalei Music Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Chrisette Michele Epiphany Def Jam Adult Contemporary R&B, Contemporary R&B
Cracker Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey 429 American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
The Devil Wears Prada With Roots Above and Branches Below Ferret Heavy Metal, Alternative CCM
Dollar Shooting Stars: The Dollar Collection [Bonus Tracks] Castle Pop/Rock, New Wave
Double Dagger More Thrill Jockey New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock
Electric Owls Ain't Too Bright Vagrant Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Fischerspooner Entertainment FS Studios Neo-Electro, Alternative Dance, Club/Dance
The Gallows Grey Britain Reprise/Wea Post-Hardcore, Punk Revival
Richard Goode Beethoven: The Complete Piano Concertos Nonesuch Romantic Keyboard Concertos
Joel Harrison Urban Myths Highnote Post-Bop
Jon Hopkins Insides Double Six/Domino IDM, Ambient Techno, Experimental Techno
Stefan Irmer Sigismund Thalberg: Piano Music MDG Romantic Keyboard Music
Jewel Lullaby Fisher Price Lullabies
Gidon Kremer The Berlin Recital EMI Classics Romantic, Post-Romantic and Modern Music for Violin & Piano
New CD Album Releases, 4-28-2009: Bob Dylan, Ben Folds
The current #15 album in the land according to Amazon consists of various campus vocal groups doing acapella renditions of Ben Folds songs. Thus it is called University A Cappella!. It was put together by Ben Folds himself. It's just the kind of cheesy thing that shouldn't work, but probably does. Think again of his little mind meld with William Shatner a few years back. I'm just disappointed that the song lineup does NOT include "The Battle of Who Could Care Less" or "Rockin the Suburbs" "Hiroshima" or the best record of 2008, "The Bitch Went Nuts[fake]."
The #2 Amazon album this minute is Together Through Life, billed as Bob Dylan's 46th album. Listening to previews, he hasn't got any voice left to sing with. More importantly, I haven't heard a memorable TUNE out of Dylan since Infidels in 1983. Every bit of these new songs sounds like generic blues, and not a hint of a hook. Still, he wrote "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" and "Neighborhood Bully," so that kinda halfway rates him at least half a listen.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new CD album releases:
Crocodiles Summer of Hate Fat Possum Noise Pop, Indie Rock
Bob Dylan Together Through Life Columbia Album Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Blues-Rock, Rock & Roll, Folk-Rock
Mike Jones The Voice Asylum Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap
Sweet Action: The Sweet Anthology Shout! Factory Glitter, Bubblegum, Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Pop/Rock
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. Interstellar Guru and Zero Homeopathic Experimental Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Johnny Adams Essential Recordings: The Great Johnny Adams Jazz Album Rounder Southern Soul, Vocal Jazz, New Orleans R&B
Ape School Ape School Counter Acid Folk, Post-Rock/Experimental
The Audition The Audition Victory Emo, Punk-Pop
The Black Crowes Warpaint Live Eagle American Trad Rock, Southern Rock, Blues-Rock
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Essential Recordings: Flippin' Out Rounder Modern Electric Texas Blues, Modern Delta Blues, Texas Blues, Electric Texas Blues, Modern Electric Blues
New CD Album Releases, 4-21-2009: Allen Toussaint, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Sinead O'Connor Allen Toussaint is 70 years old, a writer of song standards and one of the biggest half dozen musical reputations ever to come out of New Orleans. The Bright Mississippi is his first album for Nonesuch, and is billed by the record company as officially his first "jazz" album. The bits I've heard sound like something a fellow might need to hear.
The other best item this week is a re-master of Sinead O'Connor's classic 1990 breakthrough album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. Besides being re-mastered, this edition comes with a whole second CD, including a newly released contemporary reggae oriented pop song "Night Nurse." Sinead of course can totally sell "Silent Night," such that it's a tasty treat even out of season in April.
Also note her recording of "Mind Games." That's a perfect Sinead O'Connor song, right there. She should do a whole album of John Lennon ballads. I bet she could do something really memorable with "Strawberry Fields Forever."
Here's the complete list of this week's major new releases:
Art Brut Art Brut vs. Satan Downtown Indie Rock
Camera Obscura My Maudlin Career 4AD Indie Pop
Depeche Mode Sounds of the Universe Capitol Alternative Pop/Rock, Dance-Rock, Alternative Dance
Pet Shop Boys Yes Astralwerks Alternative Dance, Dance-Rock, Club/Dance, Dance-Pop
Rick Ross Deeper Than Rap Def Jam Southern Rap, Gangsta Rap
Allen Toussaint The Bright Mississippi Nonesuch New Orleans Jazz Revival, Post-Bop
Buju Banton Rasta Got Soul Gargamel Contemporary Reggae
Harry Belafonte The Early Years at Capitol Records DRG Caribbean Folk, Calypso, Traditional Folk, Traditional Pop
Lurrie Bell/John Primer/Billy Branch/Billy Boy Arnold Chicago Blues: A Living History Raisin' Music Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Modern Electric Blues, Electric Chicago Blues
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy How Big Can You Get?: A Tribute to Cab Calloway Vanguard Retro Swing
The Black Math Experiment Wyllt Tee Pee Symphonic Black Metal, Doom Metal
Brian Blade Mama Rosa Verve Forecast Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock
Blockheads Staring Down the Barrel EMI France Pub Rock
Chairlift Does You Inspire You [Bonus Tracks] Kanine/Columbia Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Chester French Love the Future Interscope Alternative Pop/Rock
Bruno Cocset Bach: Sonates, BWV 1027-1029; Chorals & Trios Alpha Productions Baroque Chamber Music
Commander Cody Dopers, Drunks and Everyday Losers Blind Pig Roots Rock, Country-Rock, Rock & Roll
Cryptacize Mythomania Asthmatic Kitty Experimental, Indie Pop, Experimental Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Dose Overdose Mia Mind Music Contemporary R&B
The Dukes of Stratosphear 25 O'Clock [Bonus Tracks] Ape British Psychedelia, Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic, Alternative Pop/Rock, College Rock, Pop/Rock
The Dukes of Stratosphear Psonic Psunspot Virgin British Psychedelia, Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic, Alternative Pop/Rock, College Rock, Pop/Rock
Empire of the Sun Walking on a Dream Virgin New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Electronic
New CD Album Releases, 4-14-2009: John Doe, Jill Sobule Looks kinda thin in the new releases this week. Perhaps there's an obscure group in this mess that I've not heard which is utterly brilliant.
The big name this week is John Doe. He started out as some idea of punk rock, and has been highly touted in some quarters for a quarter century. He's now finally worked his way around to making a full-fledged country album, Country Club. But for all the aclaim, and several attempts at listening to him over the years, I for one cannot remember a single song of this guy ever making any impression whatsoever on me personally - though in theory I should be a good audience for him.
This album consists of new arrangements of classic country songs. Naturally, he's going for real country sounds rather than some modern Garth Brooks crap, so that's to the positive. Also, he's somewhat significantly re-arranging these songs. The Bakersfield sound is invoked to explain some of this, which is to the good. But I'm more taken with the bit of Tex-Mex flavor of, for one, "Stop the World and Let Me Off." That gives the classic track a bit of fresh flavor.
Plus, some of these are less than 100% obvious choices. I am particularly pleased to see some props for my beloved Porter Wagoner through his rendition of "The Cold Hard Facts of Life." This is already getting more interest from me than anything else I've heard from John Doe. I will probably have try to get at least one good listen to this bad boy.
Jill Sobule made at least one really good basic pop song a few years back, "I Kissed a Girl." So that gets her at least some consideration. I've listened to all the samples for this new California Years album. They mostly sound okay. I'd go so far as to say that listening to the whole album probably wouldn't fill me with a strong desire to smash the CD into litle pieces. I was at least amused by the final track, "The Donor Song." According to the opening lyric, apparently she was raising money to record the album, and has her repaying donors by singing their names. Don't know that there's really a tune there, but it's at least cute.
Not particularly exciting, but these two albums would probably be at least half-listenable. That's about as good as we're going to get this week in new stuff.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
John Doe & the Sadies Country Club Yep Roc Alternative Country, Neo-Traditionalist Country
Grand Duchy Petits Fours Cooking Vinyl Indie Rock
Metric Fantasies Metric/Last Gang Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival
The Rakes Klang V2 New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock, Punk Revival
Silversun Pickups Swoon Dangerbird Alternative Pop/Rock
Roy Ayers Ubiquity He's Coming Verve Soul-Jazz, Instrumental Pop
Gato Barbieri Chapter Two: Hasta Siempre Impulse! Latin Jazz, World Fusion, Free Jazz
Beck One Foot in the Grave [Expanded Edition] Geffen/K/Iliad Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Alternative Pop/Rock
Tony Bennett/Bill Evans The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings Fantasy Standards, Ballads, Vocal Jazz, Modal Music, Show Tunes
Art Blakey Soul Finger Verve Hard Bop
The Boy Least Likely To The Law of the Playground +1 Indie Pop
Bill Callahan Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle Drag City Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Lars Danielsson Tarantella Act Music + Vision Post-Bop, Modern Creative
Dennis DeYoung One Hundred Years from Now DEP Adult Contemporary, Pop/Rock, Album Rock
Death Cab for Cutie The Open Door EP Atlantic Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Arne Deforce Morton Feldman: Patterns in a Chromatic Field Aeon Contemporary Chamber Music
Diamond Head Am I Evil?: Anthology Castle New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Dntel Early Works for Me If It Works for You II Plug Research Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
Fastball Little White Lies Mega Force Pop Underground, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock
Ella Fitzgerald Ella in Hollywood Verve Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop, Standards, Ballads, American Popular Song
Josh Freese Since 1972 Outerscope Alternative Pop/Rock
Buddy Guy The Definitive Buddy Shout! Factory Electric Blues, Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Electric Chicago Blues, Chicago Blues
The Handsome Family Honey Moon Carrot Top Neo-Traditional Folk, Alternative Country, Alternative Country-Rock, Indie Rock
Alex Harvey/Sensational Alex Harvey Band Live at the BBC Spectrum Audio Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Album Rock
Angela Hewitt Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Hyperion Baroque Keyboard Music
The House of Love Live at the BBC Universal Indie Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Noise Pop
Freddie Hubbard The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard Impulse! Hard Bop
Ida Maria Fortress Round My Heart Mercury Indie Pop, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Joe Jackson At the BBC Spectrum Pop/Rock, New Wave, Punk
Keith Jarrett Treasure Island Impulse! Avant-Garde Jazz, Post-Bop, Standards
The Juan MacLean The Future Will Come Dfa Left-Field House, Alternative Dance, Club/Dance, Neo-Electro
Life on Earth! A Space Water Loop Subliminal Sounds Neo-Psychedelia
Medeski Martin & Wood Radiolatians 2 Red Ink Jam Bands, Post-Bop, Avant-Garde Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Modern Creative, Soul-Jazz
The Mission UK Live and Last Eyes Wide Shut Alternative Pop/Rock, College Rock, Goth Rock, Dance-Rock
The Monks Black Monk Time Infinite Zero/American Garage Rock, Rock & Roll
The Monks The Early: 1964-1965 Light in the Attic Garage Rock, Rock & Roll
Lee Morgan Lee-Way Blue Note Hard Bop
Mud Rock On/As You Like It [Bonus Tracks] Glam/7T's Glitter, Glam Rock, Hard Rock
Willie Nile Places I Have Never Been [Bonus Tracks] River House Roots Rock, Rock & Roll, Americana
Noisettes Wild Young Hearts Mercury UK Garage Rock Revival, Indie Rock
Anne Sofie von Otter Bach Archiv Production Baroque Vocal Music
Andre Previn Andre Previn: An 80th Birthday Celebration RCA Red Seal Modern & Contemporary Orchestral & Chamber Music
Maurice Steger Venezia 1625 Harmonia Mundi Renaissance & Baroque Music for Recorder
Papercuts You Can Have What You Want Gnomonsong Indie Pop
Pomegranates Everybody, Come Outside! Lujo Indie Rock
Simon & Garfunkel Live 1969 Columbia/Legacy Folk-Rock, AM Pop, Folk-Pop
Siouxsie & Banshees Kiss in the Dreamhouse [Bonus Tracks] Polydor UK/Ume College Rock, Post-Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock, Goth Rock
Siouxsie and the Banshees Nocturne Geffen Post-Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock, College Rock, Punk
Jill Sobule California Years Pinko Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Sun City Girls Napoleon and Josephine: Singles, Vol. 2 Abduction Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Cowpunk, College Rock
Telepathe Dance Mother Iamsound Indie Rock
Trick Pony The Best of Trick Pony Warner Bros. Contemporary Country, Neo-Traditionalist Country
Various Artists Honey and Wine: Another Gerry Goffin and Carole King Song Collection Ace Brill Building Pop, Teen Idol, Surf, Early Pop/Rock, AM Pop, Rock & Roll, Folk-Rock, Doo Wop
Various Artists New Rubble, Vol. 4: Utopia Daydream Past & Present Indie Rock, Alternative Folk, Alternative Pop/Rock
Johnny Varro featuring Ken Peplowski Two Legends of Jazz Arbors Mainstream Jazz
Phil Woods The Children's Suite Jazzed Media Post-Bop
Yonlu A Society in Which No Tear Is Shed Is Inconceivably Mediocre Luaka Bop Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Alternative Pop/Rock, Bossa Nova
New CD Album Releases, 4-7-2009: Rascal Flatts, Neil Young, Billy Ray Cyrus Rascal Flatts are Unstoppable this week, with their fifth album. They've been running since 1999, so a decade now. They've sold something near to 20 million albums, won every kind of industry award repeatedly, and are generally THE face of modern commercial country music. I can't quite remember any of their songs, but I'm sure they're really good. As THE face of modern country music, I can at least say in defense of Rascal Flatts that they are not the traitorous dimwit Dixie Chicks. And Natalie still won't call me.
Neil Young digs cars, and the romance of the open road, as a metaphor for freedom and all that. This week he has an auto themed album, Fork in the Road. It features such songs as "Off the Road" "Fuel Line" and the title song. Preview clips I'm hearing for this sound minimally listenable, but I haven't particularly caught a strong hook out of them.
I am struck more than ever now, however, that Neil Young just cannot sing. He was never a very good vocalist, but with age and chemical abuse, you have to guess at what tune he might be trying to sing. At this point, he honestly cannot carry a tune. But then again that might partly be lack of having composed a distinctive tune to be carried. Listen to him "sing" on this album, and tell me if I'm wrong.
Billy Ray Cyrus is back this week with Back to Tennessee. You have to give a man credit for making and progressing as big a name for himself as he has with such limited talent. Plus, of course, he's raised a lovely young lady who's bigger than he is. So Billy Ray Cyrus is either doing something right, or it's a Bill Hicks thing.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new CD album releases:
Bat for Lashes Two Suns Astralwerks Indie Rock
Doves Kingdom of Rust Astralwerks/Heavenly Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Britpop
Jadakiss The Last Kiss Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Ruff Ryde East Coast Rap, Hardcore Rap
Bob Mould Life and Times Anti Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Rascal Flatts Unstoppable Lyric Street Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
Neil Young Fork in the Road Reprise Album Rock, Hard Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Country-Rock
Marta Argerich Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2008 EMI Classics Live Chamber Music with Piano
Hank Ballard & the Midnighters Nothing But Good (1952 - 1962) Bear Family Doo Wop, Early R&B
Beastie Boys Check Your Head Grand Royal Alternative Rap, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hip-Hop
Black Dice Repo Paw Tracks Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Electronic
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone Vs. Children Tomlab Indie Rock, Indie Electronic
Chain and the Gang Down with Liberty... Up with Chains! K Garage Punk, Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi
Ray Charles Genius: The Ultimate Collection Concord Early R&B, Soul
Eddie Cochran Somethin' Else:The Ultimate Collection Bear Family Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Comet Gain Broken Record Prayers Milou Studios Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Crystal Antlers Tentacles Touch & Go Experimental Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock
Billy Ray Cyrus Back to Tennessee Walt Disney/Lyric Street Contemporary Country
Erasure Total Pop! Deluxe Box [3CD/1DVD] Rhino Club/Dance, Alternative Pop/Rock, House, Dance-Pop, Alternative Dance, College Rock, Pop/Rock
The Felice Brothers Yonder Is the Clock Team Love Americana
Grateful Dead To Terrapin: Hartford '77 Rhino Jam Bands, Album Rock, Roots Rock, Rock & Roll
Grateful Dead Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings Rhino Jam Bands, Country-Rock, Album Rock
Merle Haggard Best of Merle Haggard [Capitol 2009] Capitol Bakersfield Sound, Traditional Country
Roy Hamilton Dark End of the Street 1963-1969: The Operatic Soul of Roy Hamilton Raven Pop-Soul, Uptown Soul, Early R&B, Early Pop/Rock, Soul
I Was a King I Was a King Control Group Indie Rock, Pop Underground, Shoegaze
It Hugs Back Inside Your Guitar 4AD Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Philippe Jaroussky Opium: Melodies françaises Virgin Classics French Art Songs
Joker's Daughter The Last Laugh Team Love Indie Pop, Folk-Pop
Junior Boys Begone Dull Care Domino Indie Electronic, Alternative Dance
Bettye LaVette Do Your Duty Sundazed Northern Soul, Soul
Lady Sovereign Jigsaw Midget Garage Rap/Grime
Micachu & The Shapes Jewellery Rough Trade Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
MIMS Guilt Capitol/EMI Pop-Rap, East Coast Rap
Marc Minkowski Bach: Mass in B minor Naive Baroque Choral Music
Moby Grape The Place and the Time Sundazed Rock & Roll, Country-Rock, Folk-Rock, Psychedelic
Esa-Pekka Salonen Salonen Deutsche Grammophon Contemporary Orchestral Music
Yuja Wang Sonatas & Etudes by Chopin, Scriabin, Liszt & Ligeti Deutsche Grammophon Romantic and Modern Piano Sonatas
Betty Padgett Betty Padgett Luv N Haight Soul
Pontiak Maker Thrill Jockey Experimental Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock
New CD Album Releases, 3-31-2009: Prince Rogers Nelson, Flo Rida, Diana Krall, Keith Urban He's been hit and miss for years, but you never know when Prince is going to break us off something good. LotusFlow3r is a 3CD set, available for the modest price of $12 at Target - or for about $75 to download it from Prince's official website. That Prince, he so crazy.
I haven't been to Target yet to give him my money, but this comes out as three distinct individual albums. One is something like vintage old school Prince synthesizer funk. Then there's a guitar dominated album where he does his Hendrix thing. Then there's an album for his latest young female protege. I think her name is Not Apollonia. Odds are that there's going to be at least a little of something hot across three discs of new Prince.
The #1 album at Amazon at the moment comes from Mrs Elvis Costello, or Diana Krall as some call her. Quiet Nights has her doing low key bossa nova and ballads. Of particular likely interest, she's doing "Walk On By" and "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry."
Defying Gravity is the fifth album from Keith Urban. He rules the roost in commercial country. He's got the #1 country album, and #4 of all albums currently at Amazon.
From the vaults we have newly released Lynyrd Skynyrd live recordings from 1975 and one from 1976. Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Cardiff Capitol Theater - Cardiff, Wales Nov. 04 1975 was recorded for the King Biscuit Flour Hour. Skynyrd is dead. Long live Skynyrd.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Gavin DeGraw Free J-Records Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Flo Rida R.O.O.T.S. (Route of Overcoming the Struggle) Poe Boy Music/Atlantic Pop-Rap, Southern Rap
PJ Harvey & John Parish A Woman a Man Walked By Island Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Diana Krall Quiet Nights Verve Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop, Standards, Contemporary Jazz
Peter Bjorn and John Living Thing Almost Gold/Startime Internat Indie Rock, Swedish Pop/Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival
Keith Urban Defying Gravity Capitol Pop/Rock, Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz! Interscope/DGC/Dress Up Alternative Pop/Rock, Garage Punk, Indie Rock
The Answer Everyday Demons [Bonus Track] The End Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock
Rodney Atkins It's America Curb Contemporary Country
Count Basie & His Orchestra Basie Swings Standards Pablo Swing, Big Band
Chuck Berry You Never Can Tell: The Complete Chess Recordings 1960-1966 Hip-O-Select Rock & Roll, Early R&B
Chris Botti Chris Botti in Boston Columbia Standards, Contemporary Jazz
Bow Wow New Jack City II Columbia Pop-Rap, Southern Rap
Bobby Brown Gold Geffen Urban, Teen Pop, Contemporary R&B, New Jack Swing
Michael Christie Mark Grey: Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio Naxos Contemporary Music for Voice, Chorus & Orchestra
Cinderella Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Tokyo Dome - Tokyo, Japan Dec. 31 1990 Island/Mercury Pop-Metal, Arena Rock, Hair Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Bruce Cockburn Slice O Life: Bruce Cockburn Live Solo Rounder Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Leonard Cohen Live in London Columbia Singer/Songwriter
A.J. Croce Cage of Muses Seedling Contemporary Blues, Americana
Gustavo Dudamel Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 Deutsche Grammophon Romantic Music for Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta Daron Hagen: Shining Brow Naxos Contemporary Opera
Filter Filter: The Very Best Things (1995-2008) Rhino Industrial Metal, Heavy Metal, Alternative Pop/Rock, Industrial, Post-Grunge, Alternative Metal
Steve Forbert The Place and the Time 429 Contemporary Folk, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Adam Franklin Spent Bullets Second Motion Indie Rock
Jim Gaffigan King Baby Comedy Central Standup Comedy, Observational Humor
Great Lake Swimmers Lost Channels Nettwerk Indie Rock, Folk-Pop
Willie Hutch Soul Portrait Shout! Soul
J Dilla Dillanthology 1: J Dilla's Productions for Various Artists Rapster Alternative Rap, Hip-Hop, Midwest Rap, Contemporary R&B
Demi Lovato Don't Forget [Deluxe Edition] Hollywood Teen Pop, Dance-Pop
Lynyrd Skynyrd Authorized Bootleg: Live at Winterland - San Francisco Mar. 07 1976 Geffen Southern Rock, Album Rock, Boogie Rock, Arena Rock, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock, Rock & Roll
Lynyrd Skynyrd Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Cardiff Capitol Theater - Cardiff, Wales Nov. 04 1975 Geffen Southern Rock, Album Rock, Boogie Rock, Arena Rock, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock, Rock & Roll
MSTRKRFT Fist of God Downtown/Dim Mak Alternative Dance, Club/Dance
Ministry Adios...Putas Madres 13th Planet Industrial Metal, Alternative Metal, Industrial
Stevie Nicks The Soundstage Sessions Reprise Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Album Rock
Rolando Villazon Rolando Villazon sings Handel Deutsche Grammophon Baroque Music for Voice & Orchestra
Benjamin Zander Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 [Hybrid SACD] Telarc Post-Romantic Music for Orchestra
Original Soundtrack Fast & Furious Interscope Pop-Rap, Soundtracks
Bobby Osborne Bluegrass & Beyond Rounder Traditional Bluegrass
Pansy Division That's So Gay Alternative Tentacles Punk Revival, Alternative Pop/Rock, Queercore
Dolly Parton 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs Buddha Urban Cowboy, Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
Prince LotusFlow3r LotusFlow3r Club/Dance, Urban, Funk
Queensrÿche American Soldier Rhino Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Hard Rock, Album Rock, Arena Rock
John Scofield Piety Street Emarcy Contemporary Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Instrumental Gospel, Contemporary Gospel
The Shacklefords The Shacklefords Sing Capitol Folk Revival, Folk-Pop, Country-Folk, Country-Pop
Maria Taylor LadyLuck Nettwerk Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Pop/Rock
Thunderheist Thunderheist Big Dada Indie Electronic, Club/Dance
Peter Walker Long Lost Tapes 1970 Tompkins Square Experimental Rock, Guitar Virtuoso, Folk-Rock, Psychedelic
Muddy Waters Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Fillmore Auditorium - San Francisco Nov 04-06 1966 Geffen/Chess Blues Revival, Electric Blues, Electric Chicago Blues, Chicago Blues
The Whitest Boy Alive Rules Asound/Bubbles Indie Rock, Alternative Dance
New CD Album Releases, 3-24-2009: Martina McBride, Hannah Montana Soundtrack, Yanni Looking thin for new releases of interest this week. Martina McBride has Shine, her 352nd album. I can't quite remember any of her songs, but she's sold something like 18 million albums, had 20+ top 10 country hits, a Grammy and a bunch of CMA awards.
Hannah Montana: The Movie has a dozen new songs from Miley Cyrus, plus stuff from her Pa, Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts.
Yanni has Voices, which at least sounds like an interesting experiment. He's always been an instrumental artist. Here he has recruited four young singers (Nathan Pacheco, Ender Thomas, Leslie Mills and Chloe). Then he had them write their own lyrics to melodies of some old and some new compositions. This is on Disney records, and as such is the #1 children's album currently at Amazon, and the #7 album on all the charts.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Coheed and Cambria Neverender: Children of the Fence Columbia Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal
Dan Deacon Bromst Carpark Indie Electronic, Experimental Rock
The Decemberists The Hazards of Love Capitol Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Fever Ray Fever Ray Mute Indie Electronic, IDM
Keri Hilson In a Perfect World... Mosley Music/Zone 4/Interscop Contemporary R&B, Pop
Mastodon Crack the Skye Reprise Post-Hardcore, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal
Martina McBride Shine RCA/Sony Music Contemporary Country
Pearl Jam Ten [Legacy Edition] Epic/Legacy Grunge, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Royksopp Junior Wall Of Sound Downbeat, Euro-Dance, Alternative Dance, Club/Dance
Amadou and Mariam Welcome to Mali Because Music Afro-Pop, Worldbeat
The Balky Mule The Length of the Rail Fat Cat Indie Electronic
Basia It's That Girl Again Koch Club/Dance, Dance-Pop
Beep Beep Enchanted Islands Saddle Creek Indie Rock, Math Rock, Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock
Blue October Approaching Normal Universal Motown Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge
DOOM Born Like This Lex Underground Rap, Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap
Peter Doherty Grace/Wastelands Car Indie Rock
The Flamin' Groovies Flamingo/Teenage Head Rev-Ola Proto-Punk, Rock & Roll
Fridge Early Output 1996-1998 Temporary Residence Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental, Experimental Rock, Indie Electronic
Dana Gould Let Me Put My Thoughts in You Shout! Factory Observational Humor, Standup Comedy
Harlem Shakes Technicolor Health Gigantic Music Indie Rock
Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks Tangled Tales Surfdog Country-Rock, Progressive Country, Western Swing Revival, Singer/Songwriter, Rock & Roll
Indigo Girls Poseidon and the Bitter Bug [Deluxe Edition] [Bonus Track] Vanguard Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock, Roots Rock, Rock & Roll
Sharon Isbin Journey to the New World Sony Classical Renaissance, Modern & Contemporary Music for Guitar
Leela James Let's Do It Again Shanachie Adult Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul
Paavo Jarvi Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10; Veljo Tormis: Overture No. 2 Telarc Modern & Contemporary Music for Orchestra
Jeremy Jay Slow Dance K Indie Pop
Shooter Jennings Bad Magick: The Best of Shooter Jennings and the 357's Universal South Alternative Country, Contemporary Country, Southern Rock, Country-Rock
Jim Jones Pray IV Reign E1/Columbia Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap, Gangsta Rap
Sean Jones The Search Within Mack Avenue Post-Bop, Mainstream Jazz
Spike Jones & His City Slickers Back in Radio's Day with Spike Collectors' Choice Music Satire, Song Parody, Musical Comedy, Novelty, Swing, Big Band
Guy Klucevsek Dancing on the Volcano Tzadik European Folk, Klezmer, Avant-Garde, World Fusion, Modern Creative
Garth Knox Garth Knox: Viola Spaces Mode Contemporary Chamber Music
Bettye LaVette Do Your Duty Sundazed Northern Soul, Soul
Bill Laswell Invisible Design II Tzadik Ambient Dub, Avant-Garde, Ambient
Eric Lindell Gulf Coast Highway Alligator Contemporary Blues, Blues-Rock, Funk
J.E. Mainer 1935-1939: The Early Recordings JSP String Bands, Old-Timey, Field Recordings
Wynton Marsalis He and She Blue Note Post-Bop, Neo-Bop
1990s Kicks Rough Trade Indie Rock
O+S O+S Saddle Creek Indie Electronic, Indie Pop, Dream Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Obits I Blame You Sub Pop Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Garage Punk, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival
Vadim Repin Brahms: Violin Concerto; Double Concerto Deutsche Grammophon Romantic Concertos for Violin & Cello
Jade Simmons Revolutionary Rhythm E1 Entertainment Modern & Contemporary Music for Piano
Original Soundtrack Hannah Montana: The Movie [Soundtrack] Walt Disney Soundtracks, Country-Pop, Teen Pop, Contemporary Country
Papa Roach Metamorphosis DGC/Interscope Alternative Metal
Radiohead The Bends [Collectors Series] Capitol Britpop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Radiohead OK Computer [Collectors Series] Capitol Indie Electronic, Britpop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Radiohead Pablo Honey [Collectors Series] Capitol Britpop, Alternative Pop/Rock
A.R. Rahman The Best of A.R. Rahman: Music and Magic from the Composer of Slumdog Millionaire Sony Legacy Bollywood, Indian Pop
Red Red Meat Bunny Gets Paid [Deluxe Edition] Sub Pop Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
John Rich Son of a Preacher Man Warner Bros. Contemporary Country
16 Frames Where It Ends Verve Forecast Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Swan Lake Enemy Mine Jagjaguwar Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Various Artists Classic Protest Songs from Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian/Folkways Political Folk, Traditional Folk, Field Recordings
Various Artists Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm Vanguard
Various Artists Now, Vol. 30 Universal Pop, Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop, Post-Grunge, Contemporary R&B, Contemporary Country
Various Artists Now That's What I Call Power Ballads Universal Pop-Metal, Album Rock, Arena Rock, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Various Artists Switched on Bob: A Tribute to Bob Moog Bella Casa Electronica, Ambient Breakbeat, Club/Dance, Techno
Various Artists The Very Best of Prestige: Prestige 60th Anniversary Prestige Hard Bop, Cool, Bop, Modal Music, Soul-Jazz
The Vines Melodia Ivy League Garage Punk, Garage Rock Revival, Alternative Pop/Rock, Punk-Pop
New CD Album Releases, 3-17-2009: Marianne Faithfull, Willie Nelson, Nick Lowe There's at least one worthwhile new album this week, Easy Come Easy Go by Marianne Faithfull. She presents herself her as an interpreter of songs - and quite a good one. Her singing here is about the best she's ever done, and the arrangements are unique and strong. The more I listen to this, the more I dig it.
Pretty nearly all these performances range from good to excellent, but I'm most taken with the opening "Down From Dover." This jazz arrangement and her singing will run head to head even with Dolly Parton. That's pretty damned good right there. Her version of Bessie Smith's "Easy Come, Easy Go Blues" is pretty sweet too.
This American release features 12 songs. There was an English release last fall with 18 songs. Most of the best are naturally among the 12 songs here, but I note the absence of two particularly good songs among the half dozen missing. Sarah Vaughn's "Black Coffee" is an obvious good fit for Ms Faithfull, though her arrangement is closer to the original than most of the album. Most missed though is "Salvation." The power of her arrangement - particularly the swirling organ, combined with the pure authority of her voice absolutely runs rings around the original by the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Naked Willie might be subtitled Willie Nelson's Revenge. These are recordings he made on RCA from 1964 to 1970. In Chet Atkins' Nashville, the songs were served up Nashville Sound pop style, with lots of slick group vocals and strings and such - exactly the stuff that inspired the whole country outlaw movement. These 17 tracks are his original 1960s recordings with all that stuff he always hated scraped off.
Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe is certainly a bargain for $17 with 49 tracks on two CDs plus a DVD. About the only song I notice missing is "Failed Christian," but you can't have everything. The DVD includes nine videos of various vintage, plus a whole concert recorded in Belgium.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Nick Lowe Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe Yep Roc Pub Rock, Pop/Rock, Power Pop, New Wave, Country-Rock, Rock & Roll, Roots Rock
Willie Nelson Naked Willie RCA Nashville/Legacy Outlaw Country, Country-Pop, Progressive Country, Traditional Country
Kelly Joe Phelps Western Bell Black Hen Contemporary Blues, Modern Acoustic Blues, Acoustic Blues
Wavves Wavvves [De Stijl] De Stijl Noise Pop, Noise-Rock, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi
Sam Bisbee Son of a Math Teacher Le Grand Magistery Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Bonnie "Prince" Billy Beware Drag City Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Lo-Fi
Marianne Faithfull Easy Come Easy Go Decca U.S. Pop/Rock
Mick Fleetwood Blues Band Blue Again! Savoy Jazz Blues-Rock
Angela Gheorghiu Giacomo Puccini: Madama Butterfly EMI Classics Post-Romantic Opera
Heavy Metal Kids Anvil Chorus [Bonus Tracks] Lemon Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Heavy Metal Kids Heavy Metal Kids [Bonus Track] Lemon Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Henri Ledroit Charpentier: Rendez-moi mes plaisirs Ricercar Baroque Music for Voice and Ensemble
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! Lost Highway Retro-Soul, Modern Electric Blues, Retro-Rock
The Long Blondes Singles Angular New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock
Mazes Mazes Parasol Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Ian Munro Blue Rags Tall Poppies Contemporary Piano Music
Aldo Nova Subject...Aldo Nova Portrait Album Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Aldo Nova Twitch Portrait Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Katrin Scholz Haydn: Violin Concertos Berlin Classics Classical Violin Concertos
Trio Dali Ravel: Piano Trio; Sonata for Violin & Cello; Violin Sonata Fuga Libera Modern Chamber Music
Seeland Tomorrow Today Loaf Indie Electronic
Static-X Cult of Static Warner Bros. Alternative Metal
Status Quo Pictures: 40 Years of Hits [2CD/DVD] Universal Psychedelic Pop, Boogie Rock, Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Pop/Rock
Sum 41 All the Good Shit: 14 Solid Gold Hits 2001-2008 [Best Buy Exclusive Edition] Island Punk-Pop, Punk Revival
Superdrag Industry Giants Superdrag Sound Laboratories Pop Underground, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
U-Roy 30 Massive Shots from Treasure Isle Attack UK DJ, Roots Reggae
Various Artists Coolest Songs in the World, Vol. 8 Wicked Cool Garage Rock Revival, Garage Rock
New CD Album Releases, 3-10-2009: Chris Cornell, Attack of the American Idols- Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Hicks Chris Cornell (born Christopher John Boyle on July 20, 1964) has been a busy beaver in his career as a leader of Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog - besides numerous solo albums and side projects. For all that, I remember one song, "Rusy Cage" and that is because of Johnny Cash singing it. This week, he puts out a joint called Scream.
Then there is the continuing attack on any decent standards of Geometry and Theology that is made up of every single person who has ever appeared on the damned American Idol show. If you're totally lacking in any interest in music, you might go find their albums. I'd tell you the names of the albums, but I don't care enough to scroll down the page to find them.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Kelly Clarkson All I Ever Wanted RCA Pop, Adult Contemporary
Chris Cornell Scream Interscope Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop
The-Dream Love vs Money Def Jam Contemporary R&B, Pop
Mirah (A)spera K Indie Rock, Indie Pop
Madeleine Peyroux Bare Bones Rounder Vocal Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Razorlight Slipway Fires Vertigo Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Arbouretum Song of the Pearl Thrill Jockey Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Country-Rock
BLK JKS Mystery Secretly Canadian Indie Rock
Ballas Hough Band BHB Hollywood Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop, Club/Dance
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Mark O'Connor: Americana Symphony OMAC Contemporary Orchestral Music
Bishop Allen Grrr... Dead Oceans Indie Rock
Corbin Bleu Speed of Light Hollywood Teen Pop, Contemporary R&B
Luka Bloom Eleven Songs Big Sky Alternative Folk, Contemporary Folk, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Urban Folk
The BoDeans Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams [Collector's Edition] Rhino/Warner Bros. Heartland Rock, Roots Rock
Corneille The Birth of Cornelius Sony French Pop, Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul
Cursive Mama, I'm Swollen Saddle Creek Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Julie Doiron I Can Wonder What You Did with Your Day Jagjaguwar Sadcore, Indie Rock
Steve Earle Live at the BBC Hip-O Heartland Rock, Americana, New Traditionalist, Roots Rock
Estonian National Male Choir Silva Caledonia GB Records Contemporary Choral Music
Europa Galante Luigi Boccherini: Trio, Quartet, Quintet & Sextet for Strings Virgin Classics Classical Chamber Music
Extra Golden Thank You Very Quickly Thrill Jockey Indie Rock, Afro-Pop
Girls Aloud Out of Control Polydor Teen Pop, Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop
Handsome Furs Face Control Sub Pop Indie Rock
John Wesley Harding Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead [Bonus CD] Rebel Group Alternative Folk, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Urban Folk, Contemporary Folk
Taylor Hicks The Distance Rocket Science Bar Band, Blues-Rock
Bertie Higgins Captiva Toucan Cove Soft Rock, Pop/Rock
J. Holiday Round 2 Capitol Contemporary R&B
Red Holloway Go Red Go Delmark Soul-Jazz
Stephen Hough Stephen Hough in recital Hyperion Romantic, Post-Romantic & Modern Piano Music
Shirley Johnson Blues Attack Delmark Contemporary Blues, Contemporary Gospel, Electric Chicago Blues, Soul, Soul-Blues
Paul Jones Starting All Over Again Collectors' Choice Music Pop/Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul, British Invasion, AM Pop
Herbert von Karajan Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 9 Audite Romantic Orchestral Music
B.B. King Live at the BBC Island Modern Electric Blues, Soul-Blues, Early R&B
David Knopfler Anthology: 1983-2008 Renaissance Pop/Rock
Ronnie Milsap Then Sings My Soul CMG Country Gospel
Mott the Hoople & Ian Hunter The Golden Age 1969-1997 Raven Proto-Punk, Hard Rock
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band Dead Oceans Indie Rock
New Found Glory Not Without a Fight Epitaph Punk-Pop, Emo-Pop
Beth Orton Trailer Park [Legacy Edition] Arista/Legacy/Heavenly Record Electronica, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Trip-Hop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Gene Parsons Kindling Collectors' Choice Music Folk-Rock, Country-Rock
Elvis Perkins in Dearland Elvis Perkins in Dearland XL Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Americana, Contemporary Folk
Elvis Presley I Believe: The Gospel Masters RCA/Legacy Traditional Gospel, Southern Gospel, Inspirational, Contemporary Gospel, Early Pop/Rock
Raymond Scott 100th Anniversary Doll and CD Set Press Pop Obscuro, Computer Music, Space Age Pop, Swing, Electronic, Cartoon Music, Novelty
Rod Stewart Unplugged...and Seated Warner Bros. Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary
Bernie Taupin He Who Rides the Tiger American Beat Pop/Rock
Various Artists Respect: Aretha's Influences and Inspiration Ace Pop-Soul, Traditional Gospel, Motown, Black Gospel, Urban, Soul, AM Pop
Various Artists Where the Girls Are, Vol. 7 Ace Pop-Soul, Girl Group, Soul
We Five There Stands the Door: The Best of We Five Big Beat UK Folk-Rock ************** Chris Cornell ************* Taylor Hicks
New CD Album Releases, 3-3-2009: U2, Neko Case, The Prodigy Sucking up all the oxygen in the room this week is Sir Bono and U2 with No Line on the Horizon. Should have called it "no memorable tunes on the horizon." I'm suffering to make myself listen to it all the way through.
"Get Your Boots On" is the single, and that's just worthless. There's not a decent hook, or even a decent production or arrangement gimmick - much less a tune. Generic U2. Just add water, makes it own sauce.
It's the #1 seller at Amazon, naturally, but they're long past having anything whatsoever to say. Devoted fans will by their albums forevermore, no matter how badly they dilute the brand with worthless crap like this. But hey, there are still people who will buy new albums by the Stones or Dylan - and convince themselves that they're good. Look, U2 made plenty of good albums - and you already own them. Just play them.
Beyond that, I just don't see anybody at all of interest. Perhaps this week you spend your entertainment budget on paying down your credit card. Something worth buying will show up eventually.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Neko Case Middle Cyclone Anti Alternative Country-Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Americana, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
The Prodigy Invaders Must Die Cooking Vinyl Electronica, Club/Dance, Funky Breaks
Rush Retrospective, Vol. 3 Atlantic/WEA Album Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Hard Rock, Arena Rock
Soundtrack of Our Lives Communion Yep Roc Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Rock & Roll
U2 No Line on the Horizon Interscope Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Cecilia Bartoli Vincenzo Bellini: La sonnambula Decca Romantic Opera
Bell X1 Blue Lights on the Runway Yep Roc Indie Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Boozoo Bajou Grains !K7 Downtempo, Downbeat
Allison Brown The Company You Keep Compass Progressive Bluegrass, Contemporary Bluegrass, New Acoustic
Gautier Capucon Dvorak, Victor Herbert: Cello Concertos Virgin Classics Post-Romantic Music for Cello & Orchestra
Liz Carroll & John Doyle Double Play Compass Celtic Folk, Contemporary Celtic
De Rosa Prevention Chemikal Underground Indie Rock
Drowning Pool Loudest Common Denominator Eleven Seven Hard Rock, Alternative Metal, Post-Grunge
Justin Townes Earle Midnight at the Movies Bloodshot Americana, Alternative Country
Faust C'est Com...Com...Complique Bureau B Experimental Rock, Kraut Rock, Experimental, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Bela Fleck Throw Down Your Heart, Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3: Africa Sesssions Rounder Aboriginal Folk, African Folk
Harmonic 313 When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence Warp Experimental Techno, Neo-Electro
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Hot City: The 1974 Unreleased Album Major League Glam Rock, Blues-Rock, Hard Rock, Album Rock
Ben Klock One Ostgut Club/Dance, Techno, Minimal Techno, Ambient Techno
The Long Lost The Long Lost Ninja Tune Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Electronic
Sir Charles Mackerras Janacek: Sinfonietta; Operatic Preludes; Weinberger: Schwanda the Bagpiper; Smetana: The Bartered Bride Overture EMI Classics Romantic & Modern Orchestral Music
Dmitri Makhtin Bach: Sonates & Partitas, Vol. 1 Lontano Baroque Music for Violin
Raul Malo Lucky One Fantasy Neo-Traditionalist Country, Americana, Progressive Country
Buddy and Julie Miller Written in Chalk New West Americana, Country-Rock
Marissa Nadler Little Hells Kemado Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Itzhak Perlman Joplin: Rag-Time Music; Previn: A Different Kind of Blues EMI Classics Post-Romantic & Modern Music for Violin, Piano & Chamber Ensemble
Angus & Julia Stone A Book Like This Nettwerk Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Tierney Sutton Desire Telarc Vocal Jazz
Thin Lizzy Still Dangerous: Live at Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977 Proper Arena Rock, Hard Rock
Various Artists The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 11B: 1971 Hip-O Select Smooth Soul, Motown, Funk, Soul
Marty Willson-Piper Nightjar Second Motion Alternative Pop/Rock
New CD Album Releases, 2-24-2009: Chris Isaak, JJ Cale, Jonas Brothers Chris Isaak is back this week with Mr Lucky. It is his first proper album in seven years, and currently as high as #6 at Amazon. Note that he is also starting The Chris Isaak Hour, a weekly talk-music show on A&Es Biography channel.
JJ Cale has made a bunch of albums over time, but I've never heard of him really being much of a seller. But Roll On is rated as high as #11 at Amazon. The last album he made was a duo album with Eric Clapton, The Road to Escondido.
The Jonas Brothers have a concert film, and thus a concert film album, Music from the 3D Concert Experience. Good for them.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases:
Black Lips 200 Million Thousand Vice Garage Punk, Garage Rock Revival
J.J. Cale Roll On Rounder Boogie Rock, Roots Rock, Blues-Rock
Chris Isaak Mr. Lucky Wicked Game/Reprise Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock
And Then There Were None Who Speaks for Planet Earth? Tooth & Nail New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Dance-Rock, Indie Electronic
Laura Barrett Victory Garden Paper Bag Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Diego Bernal For Corners Exponential Left-Field Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop
Joe Bonamassa The Ballad of John Henry J & R Adventures Blues-Rock, Modern Electric Blues
Pete Brown & His Battered Ornaments A Meal You Can Shake Hands with in the Dark Repertoire Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Soul
Pete Brown & Piblokto! Things May Come and Things May Go But the Art School Dance Goes on Forever Repertoire Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Rock & Roll, Soul
Pete Brown & Piblokto! Thousands on a Raft Repertoire Jazz-Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band Safe as Milk Buddha Proto-Punk, Psychedelic, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Blues-Rock, Experimental Rock
Johnny Cash Original Sun Singles '55-'58 Sundazed Rock & Roll, Traditional Country, Rockabilly, Country-Pop
Clem Snide Hungry Bird 429 Indie Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
Company of Thieves Ordinary Riches Wind-Up Indie Rock
Norman Connors Star Power Shanachie Smooth Jazz, Quiet Storm, Crossover Jazz, Urban
Shemekia Copeland Never Going Back Telarc Modern Electric Blues, Soul-Blues
Brian Dewan Ringing at the Speed of Prayer: Brian Dewan with the Liverpool Cathedral Bell Ringers Innova Romantic & Contemporary Arrangements for Bells & Tuned Stones
John Fred & His Playboy Band With Glasses: The Very Best of John Fred and His Playboy Band Fuel 2000 Pop/Rock, Frat Rock, AM Pop, Blue-Eyed Soul
Bill Frisell The Best of Bill Frisell, Vol. 1: Folk Songs Nonesuch Folk-Jazz
Green River Ordinance Out of My Hands Virgin Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock
Uri Gurvich The Storyteller Tzadik Avant-Garde Jazz, Progressive Jazz, Folk-Jazz, World Fusion
Lightnin' Hopkins Blues from Dowling Street Fuel 2000 Electric Texas Blues, Electric Blues, Country Blues, Acoustic Texas Blues, Texas Blues
Jonas Brothers Music from the 3D Concert Experience Hollywood Pop/Rock, Teen Pop
K'naan Troubadour A&M/Octone Alternative Rap, Political Rap, Underground Rap
Kinky Barracuda Kin-Kon/Nettwerk Alternative Dance, Rock en Español, Alternative Pop/Rock
L'Arpeggiata Monteverdi: Teatro d'Amore Virgin Classics Baroque Vocal Music
Lamb of God Wrath Epic Death Metal/Black Metal
Jerry Lee Lewis Sun Singles Collection Sundazed Rock & Roll
Kurt Masur Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 8; Liszt: Wanderer-Fantasie Apex Romantic Orchestral Music
Jackie McLean Bluesnik [RVG] Blue Note Hard Bop, Post-Bop
Original Soundtrack Coraline Koch Original Score, Soundtracks
Jake Owen Easy Does It RCA Neo-Traditionalist Country, Contemporary Country
Pan-American White Bird Release Kranky Experimental Ambient, Dark Ambient, Post-Rock/Experimental, Electro-Acoustic
Shawn Phillips At the BBC Hux Jazz-Rock, Folk-Rock, Soft Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Roberto Juan Rodriguez The First Basket Tzadik Jewish Music, Avant-Garde Jazz, Hebrew, Son, Rhumba, Klezmer, Latin Folk, Mambo, New York Salsa, Salsa, World Fusion
Tom Rush What I Know Appleseed Contemporary Folk, Singer/Songwriter, Folk-Blues, Traditional Folk
Daphna Sadeh and the Voyagers Reconciliation Tzadik Continental Jazz, World Fusion
School Boy Humor School Boy Humor Vagrant Emo-Pop
Screaming Blue Messiahs Live at the BBC Hux Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Horace Silver The Tokyo Blues Blue Note Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz
Various Artists Adventures in Sound: Schaeffer, Stockhausen, Xenakis, Varèse, Henry El Modern & Contemporary Electronic & Electro-Acoustic Music
Various Artists Elliott Carter: A Nonesuch Retrospective [Box Set] Nonesuch Contemporary Vocal, Chamber & Orchestral Music
Various Artists Singing Through the Hard Times: A Utah Phillips Celebration Righteous Babe Neo-Traditional Folk, Folksongs, Folk Revival
Baby Face Willette Stop and Listen Blue Note Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz
Tony Williams Spring Blue Note Post-Bop, Avant-Garde Jazz
New CD Album Releases, 2-17-2009: Psapp, Morrissey, Robyn Hitchcock This week we are blessed to get the American release of the third album by Psapp, The Camel's Back. Carim Clasmann and Galia Durant are sometimes credited as the creators of a new genre to be called "toytronica" based on being prone to using nominal toy instruments in their productions - though I'd say that such things are maybe a little more subtle or less obvious than previously. I'd broadly describe their sound as a light, pop oriented electronica.
This is the best set of compositions, actual songs, they've come up with, which perhaps minimizes the need for electronic gimmicks that would probably distract from some of these songs. I've been listening to this for awhile, and the album's got some staying power.
There are at least several outstanding songs here. I'm to understand that "The Monster Song" is supposed to be a single, but that's one of the less interesting songs here - though decent in it's own right. But "Fickle Ghost" really particularly does it for me. This gets up a pretty fair sense of drama for a band so set on whimsy. They get a particularly tight, righteously rocking start on the album with "I Want That." "The Camel's Back" and "Part Like Waves" are damned catchy as well.
Robyn Hitchcock has his 275th album this week, Goodnight Oslo. I know I've listened to a half dozen Hitchcock albums, but couldn't for the life of me tell you any particular song. But there he is, if you're really into such things.
Then there's the ridiculousness that is Morrissey. The Smiths sucked so thoroughly on so many levels that I needn't burden you with most of them. But the main most important level of the Morrissey/Smith suckingness is the lack of memorable melodies. Having heard at least two thirds of the guy's output, I couldn't call forth even one hook out of his entire career of miserable whining. He once ludicrously called an album Meat Is Murder - which may be true, but still in my mind a lesser crime than the murder of my eardrums by the sound of his crappy records. His solo career has only been even less artistically distinguished. This week he has Years of Refusal. Enjoy.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new releases:
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead The Century of Self Justice Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Robyn Hitchcock Goodnight Oslo Yep Roc Alternative Pop/Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Lightning Rod Alternative Country-Rock, Roots Rock, Southern Rock
Morrissey Years of Refusal [CD/DVD] Lost Highway College Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
M. Ward Hold Time Merge Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Cranes Loved [Bonus Tracks] Cherry Red Dream Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Death For the Whole World to See Drag City American Underground, American Punk, Proto-Punk
Dorian Wind Quintet Retrospectacular Summit Chamber Music for Winds
Benjy Ferree Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee Bobby Dee Domino Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
John Lee Hooker Anthology: 50 Years Shout! Factory Detroit Blues, Blues Revival, Delta Blues, Country Blues, Electric Delta Blues, Acoustic Blues, Electric Blues
Tommy Keene In the Late Bright Second Motion Pop Underground, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Christof Keymer Moritz Moszkowski: Samtliche Klaviertranskriptionen Berlin Classics Post-Romantic Transcriptions for Piano
Living Things Habeas Corpus Jive/Zomba Punk Revival, Post-Grunge, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Mi Ami Watersports Quarterstick Post-Hardcore, Noise-Rock, Indie Rock
Miniature Tigers Tell It to the Volcano Modern Art Pop Underground, Indie Pop
New CD Album Releases, 2-10-2009: India.Arie, Lily Allen, Van Morrison There's definitely at least new album worth listening to this week. India Arie Simpson has Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics. She makes music that gets the benefits of r&b and also of singer-songwriters. There are some actual songs with hooks and melodies here, and pretty much the whole album is consistently good. The mostly gentle r&b swing is effective at buoying up the introspective parts, thus avoiding the kind of wistful drag of songwritery introspection.
On a couple of days exposure, I'm not necessarily saying that it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's not going to make you forget, say, What's Going On. But I found myself listening to the whole album four or five times consecutively last night during crazy stormy winter weather, and I found it very comforting in the kind of situation where I'd usually be reaching for familiar comfort food, Kind of Blue or Motown maybe.
I'm not sure there's any single track quite up with "Promises" or "Video" but I'll definitely be giving some continuing time to "Ghetto" and the good rockin' "Better Way." Plus, I'll take her bonus track "Beautiful Day" over the U2 hit of the same name. This may be Miss India's best album overall.
Lily Allen has her second album this week, It's Not Me, It's You. The smug shallow self-righteousness of the album title is not contradicted by mediocre songs like "Not Fair."
It is most convincingly confirmed by "F&*k You." The cutesy girly tone and production gimmicks might almost would make a minimally listenable pop song, but smug hatefulness and utterly unearned presumptions of intellectual and moral superiority running through the whole album get condensed into an obvious and shallow swipe at W. Still, musically it's probably the best song on the album. It's also a pretty good encapsulated example of a particularly ugly netroots leftist hypocrisy. "We're so tired of all the hatred you harbor" Juxtapose that with the title, and (lyric sites don't include this part) "It's people like you that need to get slew." This whole album is full of hatred, political and personal.
The personalized hatefulness of this whole record (both political and personal) sounds particularly sour and unappealing compared to the India.Arie record. Now, besides the fact that India is talented and a real songwriter, she's benevolent and nice. The whole tone of the liberal impulses behind stuff like "Better Way" reflect an actual concern with the welfare of the downtrodden, rather than with proud displays of hateful personal or moral superiority to ex-presidents or ex-boyfriends.
In short, if you're one of those nouveau Dixie Chicks fans who bought their crappy Taking the Long Way album and consider it great art because they hate BusHitler and most everyone else, then you might dig It's Not Me, It's You. That describes enough people to make this album #10 currently at Amazon.
Van Morrison recorded Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl in November 2008. This was apparently the first time he has performed his classic 1968 album live in its entirety as a song cycle. I haven't heard this, but reviews seem rather ecstatic. He's apparently, as you might expect from someone of his stature, done more than just play the old songs, but expanded on them with some improvisatory expansions that go to the jazzy nature of the original record.
Here's the complete list of the week's major new album releases.
Lily Allen It's Not Me, It's You Capitol Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Chilliwack Wanna Be a Star Solid Gold Pop/Rock, Soft Rock
Gerald Cleaver/William Parker/Craig Taborn Farmers by Nature Aum Fidelity Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz
Ben Folds Stems & Seeds Epic Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop Underground, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Stan Freberg Singles DRG/EMI Musical Comedy, Novelty, Satire
Alice Giles Carlos Salzedo: Works for Solo Harp Tall Poppies Modern Music for Harp
Grant Green Grant's First Stand Blue Note Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz
Guarneri Quartet The Hungarian Album Sony Post-Romantic & Modern Music for String Quartet
Jon Hassell Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street ECM Structured Improvisation, Experimental, Space, Avant-Garde, Ambient
Buddy Holly Memorial Collection Geffen Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Hot Panda Volcano...Bloody Volcano Mint Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival
George Jones Step Right Up: 1970-1979 A Critical Anthology Raven Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan, Honky Tonk, Country-Pop, Traditional Country
Jorma Kaukonen River of Time Red House Neo-Traditional Folk, Old-Timey, Acoustic Blues
Ryan Leslie Ryan Leslie Casablanca Contemporary R&B, Pop
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Recital: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson at Ravinia Harmonia Mundi Baroque, Romantic, Classical, Modern & Contemporary Music for Voice & Piano
The Lonely Island Incredibad [CD/DVD] Republic Musical Comedy, Novelty
Motorhead Ace of Spades [Deluxe Edition] Sanctuary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, British Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Motorhead Bomber [Deluxe Edition] Sanctuary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, British Metal, Heavy Metal
Motorhead Iron Fist [Deluxe Edition] Sanctuary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, British Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash, Hard Rock
Motorhead Overkill [Deluxe Edition] Sanctuary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, British Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Leo Parker Rollin' with Leo Blue Note Hard Bop
Horace Parlan Up & Down [Bonus Track] Blue Note Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz
Miranda Lee Richards Light of X Nettwerk Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Pop/Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
Dexter Romweber Duo Ruins of Berlin Bloodshot Rockabilly Revival, Psychobilly
Bobby V. The Rebirth Blu Kolla Dreams/EMI Contemporary R&B
Various Artists NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack CBS Television Music, TV Soundtracks
Dan Zanes and Friends The Welcome Table! Songs of Inspiration, Mystery & Good Times Festival Five Children's Folk, Sing-Along, Contemporary Gospel, Country Gospel, Inspirational ****************** India Arie Simpson INDIA.ARIE PICTURES 123456
New CD Album Releases, 2-3-2009: Steve Martin, Melinda Doolittle, Wynonna Judd I haven't heard the whole album yet, but The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo from Steve Martin sounds pretty exciting. He's been known for banjo playing in his comedy act from the beginning, but has only just put out his first actual banjo music album. Fourteen of the fifteen songs are original Steve Martin compositions, some of them written decades ago.
The first song "Daddy Played the Banjo" is available for free download from Amazon, and it's quite excellent. It's a beautiful and lonely lament for a past that never was from a banjo player who has no child to share his banjo love with. This song will likely be on my best of 2009 list.
On a much more upbeat note, he sang another song from the album, "Late for School." It's a spritely but touching little number from the point of a boy who's missed the bus and running to make it to class, over the creek, jumping lawn ornaments and such.
Also, unlike most things that carry the name now, this is sounding like real country music. That pretty well tells you it'll never be played on country radio. This is definitely a must-have album.
Melinda Doolittle was the #3 finisher on American Idol in 2007. Coming Back to You is her debut album, an r&b record described as something in the range of Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Sing: Chapter 1 is the seventh solo album from Wynonna Judd. She describes it as a multi-genre collection of standards.
Here's the complete list of the week's major new releases:
Steve Martin The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo 40 Productions Bluegrass
Dierks Bentley Feel That Fire Capitol Contemporary Country
Melinda Doolittle Coming Back to You Hi Fi Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B
The Fray The Fray Epic Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, American Trad Rock
Graham Nash Reflections [Box Set] Rhino Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Folk-Rock, Soft Rock, Album Rock, British Invasion, AM Pop
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Lonely Road Virgin Alternative Pop/Rock, Emo-Pop, Screamo
Marin Alsop Marin Alsop Conducts MacMillan, Adès & Higdon LSO Live Contemporary Orchestral Music
The Bad Plus For All I Care Heads Up Post-Rock/Experimental, Post-Bop
Bibio Vignetting the Compost Mush Indie Electronic, Post-Rock/Experimental
Larry Blank Rodgers & Hammerstein: Allegro Sony Musical Theater
Ann Hampton Callaway At Last Telarc Vocal Jazz, Standards
Chicago Chicago 18 Rhino Flashback/Warner Bros. Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary, Soft Rock
Heartless Bastards The Mountain Fat Possum Indie Rock, Garage Punk
Iran Dissolver Narnack Noise Pop, Indie Rock
The James Gang Bang Rhino Flashback/Atco Album Rock, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
Wynonna Judd Sing: Chapter 1 Curb Contemporary Country
Ben Kweller Changing Horses ATO Alternative Country-Rock, Indie Rock
Leona Lewis Spirit [Deluxe Edition] [CD/DVD] [Bonus Tracks] J-Records Pop Idol, Contemporary R&B, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary
Majesty Crush I Love You in Other Cities Full Effect Dream Pop, Indie Rock, Shoegaze, Alternative Pop/Rock
Dent May The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele Paw Tracks Indie Pop
Ronnie McNeir Ronnie McNeir [1972] Dusty Groove Smooth Soul, Soul
Willie Nelson/Asleep at the Wheel Willie and the Wheel Bismeaux Productions Western Swing Revival, Western Swing, Traditional Country
Daniel Taylor The Voice of Bach Sony BMG Europe Baroque Vocal Music
David Zinman Mahler: Symphony No. 5 [Hybrid SACD] RCA Red Seal Post-Romantic Orchestral Music
Original Soundtrack He's Just Not That into You [Soundtrack] New Line Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Film Music, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Soundtracks, New Wave, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Slumberland Indie Pop, Noise Pop, Shoegaze
Phosphorescent To Willie Dead Oceans Indie Rock, Alternative Folk, Lo-Fi
Telefon Tel Aviv Immolate Yourself Bpitch Control Experimental Techno, Alternative Dance
Aaron Tippin In Overdrive Country Crossing Truck Driving Country
Two Tongues Two Tongues Vagrant Emo-Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Punk-Pop
Various Artists Money Will Ruin Everything: The Second Edition Rune Grammaphon NW Structured Improvisation, Glitch, Sound Sculpture, Avant-Garde Jazz, Experimental Ambient, Experimental Dub, Electronica, Ambient Techno, Ambient Dub, Electro-Acoustic
Various Artists Yuanlin Chen: Away from Xuan Innova Contemporary Orchestral and Chamber Music
Von Bondies Love Hate and Then There's You Majordomo Garage Punk, Indie Rock, Garage Rock Revival
Jim White A Funny Little Cross to Bear Luaka Bop Americana, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Folk
The Zero Boys History of the Zero Boys Secretly Canadian American Underground, Hardcore Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock
Zero Boys Vicious Circle Secretly Canadian American Underground, Hardcore Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock
New CD Album Releases, 1-27-2009: Bruce Springsteen, Kylie Minogue, Paul McCartney Look, as far as the music business goes, Bruce Springsteen is one of the biggest corporate whores going. You know it, I know, and the American people know it. The Seeger album was an extraordinary and commercially hopeless piece of art - unique in his catalogue. Other than that, it's been all downhill since Darkness 30 odd years ago. The music has become horribly homogenized Springsteen industrial strength music food product, with lots of cheesy off the shelf Woody Guthrie self-mythologizing shtick.
The new Working on a Dream has been criticized as being a disconnected set of workmanlike crafted songs, hurried along to be out in time for his big Superbowl halftime show coming up in a few days. The big industrial strength roll out of this trips the triggers of some folks who are real invested in his big cheesy personnae.
But it's really just as well, so far as I'm concerned - never having bought all the shtick in the first place. Everybody's trying to put some political spin on it - with Springsteen's encouragement - some BS about a reflection of the optimism of the new Obama era. The good thing is that this is just pure marketing BS, and such dumbassery has little or nothing to do with what's on the actual album. It was that cheap grasping for Deep Meaning that so badly made me want to stick that horrible exploitative 9/11 album up The Boss's ass.
The actual new album Working on a Dream is not going to make anybody forget Born to Run, but it's more listenable to my ears than anything Springsteen's been involved with in the last 15 or 20 years, again excepting Seeger. This album is halfway listenable - way better than Springsteen's recent average. Maybe it's just that he's put his efforts here mostly into composition rather than concocting political/sociological BS.
Most of all, this whole album is at least minimally justified by one fairly outstanding song, the epic eight minute opening track "Outlaw Pete." For starters, this thing's pretty catchy. I'm wandering around singing pieces of it, which is my surest sign that he's got something.
He's been called out in some quarters for nicking a bit of the big Kiss disco hit "I Was Made For Loving You." But this is a textbook example of GOOD nicking. He's used just one bit of instrumental hook, dropped into a whole different emotional and musical context. It's not the main point of the song, and not enough to be really a ripoff. It's really interesting and worthwhile thinking through how this little disco lick cleverly becomes part of a Western epic.
I don't know how "profound" this big ol' epic exactly is, but it's got at least a halfway distinctive melody and some good dynamics. Plus, I like some of the early imagery of the three month old Pete in his diapers and bare feet holding up his first bank. At six months old, he'd done three months in jail. It's almost in Paul Bunyon territory there. This song will likely end up on my 2009 records list.
Beyond the 800 pound corporate gorilla, there's an album of Kylie Minogue remixes, Boombox. If you're into such things, this has a lot of first-time-on-an-album rarities, including the Kylie/New Order mash-up "Can't Get Blue Monday Out Of Head".
Amoeba's Secret is a four song live EP from Paul MCartney, from a small show promoting Memory Almost Full. It has two songs from there ["Only Mama Knows" and "That Was Me"] plus "C Moon" and "I Saw Her Standing There."
Here's the complete list of this week's major new releases:
The Bird and the Bee Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future Blue Note Indie Pop, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Franz Ferdinand Tonight Domino New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Bruce Springsteen Working on a Dream Columbia Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Louis Armstrong Satchmo at Pasadena Verve Mainstream Jazz, New Orleans Jazz, Traditional Pop
Ashford & Simpson The Real Thing Burgundy Soul, Pop-Soul, Smooth Soul, Contemporary R&B
Zuill Bailey Zuill Bailey: Russian Masterpieces for Cello and Orchestra Telarc Romantic & Modern Music for Cello & Orchestra
Gato Barbieri Chapter One: Latin America Verve Latin Jazz, World Fusion, Free Jazz
Ran Blake Driftwoods Tompkins Square Avant-Garde Jazz, Standards, Post-Bop, Ballads
James Brown Singles, Vol. 6: 1969-1970 Hip-O Select Funk, Soul, Blaxploitation
Cappadonna Slang Prostitution Chambermusik Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap
Peter Cincotti East of Angel Town Sire/ London/Rhino Vocal Jazz, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Cotton Jones Basket Ride Paranoid Cocoon Suicide Squeeze Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Dälek Gutter Tactics Ipecac Left-Field Hip-Hop, Alternative Rap
Pat DiNizio & Buddy Holly Pat Dinizio/Buddy Holly Koch Pop-Metal, Garage Rock Revival, Rock & Roll
Dry Branch Fire Squad Echoes of the Mountains Rounder Progressive Bluegrass, Appalachian Folk, Old-Timey, Contemporary Bluegrass, String Bands, Traditional Bluegrass
Chris Duarte 396 Blues Bureau Modern Electric Blues
John Frusciante The Empyrean Record Collection Emo, Indie Rock
The Full Blast Black Hole Atavistic Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz, Modern Free
The Green Fields of America The Green Fields of America Compass Traditional Irish Folk, Traditional Celtic, Irish Folk
Pat Green What I'm For BNA Contemporary Country, Pop/Rock, American Trad Rock
Tom Harrell Prana Dance Highnote Post-Bop
Hoobastank For(n)ever Island Post-Grunge, Alternative Pop/Rock
Incredible String Band Tricks of the Senses Hux British Folk-Rock, British Folk, Folk-Rock, Psychedelic
Nickel Eye The Time of the Assassins Rykodisc Indie Rock
Of Montreal An Eluardian Instance (Jon Brion Remix EP) Polyvinyl Indie Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Club/Dance, Dance-Pop
Mark Olson/Gary Louris Ready for the Flood Hacktone Americana, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
Renee Olstead Skylark Reprise/143 Traditional Pop, Vocal Pop
QUaX Ensemble Cornelius Cardew: Treatise Mode Avant-Garde Chamber Music
Thomas Quasthoff Italian Arias Deutsche Grammophon Classical Opera Arias
Enrico Rava New York Days ECM Post-Bop, Modern Creative
Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes Def Jam Club/Dance, Dance-Pop, Urban
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Old Money Stones Throw Experimental Rock, Space Rock
Roses Kings Castles Roses Kings Castles Sycamore Club Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Saffire -- The Uppity Blues Women Havin' the Last Word Alligator Modern Acoustic Blues, Folk-Blues
Jamie Saft Black Shabbis Tzadik Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal/Black Metal
Duncan Sheik Whisper House RCA Victor Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Matthew Shipp Harmonic Disorder Thirsty Ear Avant-Garde Jazz
Frank Sinatra Seduction: Sinatra Sings of Love [Deluxe] Rhino Traditional Pop, American Popular Song
Doug Stone Live at Billy Bob's Texas Smith Music Group Neo-Traditionalist Country
Various Artists Grammy Nominees 2009 Rhino Pop Idol, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary R&B, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop, Adult Contemporary
Various Artists Michael Fiday: Same Rivers Different Innova Modern Vocal & Chamber Music
Volcano Suns All-Night Lotus Party [Bonus Tracks] Merge American Underground, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Hardcore, College Rock
Volcano Suns The Bright Orange Years [Bonus Tracks] Merge American Underground, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Hardcore, College Rock
Gene Watson Reflections/Should I Come Home Hux Country-Pop, Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan
Tyrone Wells Remain Republic Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Paul Weston A Life in Music: Songwriter, Composer, Arranger JSP Traditional Pop, Mood Music, Instrumental Pop
Katt Williams It's Pimpin' Pimpin' Warner Bros. Observational Humor, Standup Comedy
New CD Album Releases, 1-20-2007: Animal Collective, A.C. Newman, Mariah Carey So it looks like President Obama is going to close Gitmo. Speculation is that this will make the detention center there available for the underground White Stripes Nation militia to use as an Imaginationland re-education camp, reportedly to be named.Camp Mimi This will be considered a substantial upgrade to current officially unacknowledged facilities in Iraq at Abu Ghraib. Camp Mimi can address various forms of opposition to the iron-fisted rule of Jack White, but most especially Mariah Carey fans are sometimes sent out for re-education - or actually a first education.
This week Sony Legacy puts out The Ballads of Mariah Carey. This is the first half of her career, then. It's hard to explain how much exactly the same every Mariah Carey song ever from then till now sounds. I am at a loss to understand how people tell them apart. I remember the titles from the track listing enough to know that many of these songs were big #1 singles at the time, back in the 80s. But even listening to the samples at Amazon now to refresh my memory, it's just formless corporate goo spread over endless identical generic drum machines.
This album should be considered reasonable evidence to convince anyone with any sense of geometry and theology as to why a Camp Mimi is necessary. Tens of millions of people have bought these Mariah Carey records, showing their distressing disconnect from music - and most especially their disconnect from soul music of any description. Like Obama with Gitmo, you might be squeamish about the means and methods - but these people HAVE to be Dealt With in some way. You got a better idea?
There are a couple of actual new releases this week that have gotten some interest, though I'm agnostic on both upon at least an initial listen. Animal Collective has Merriweather Post Pavilion. This is their ninth album, and is currently as high as #8 in Amazon sales. That's pretty good for a band I don't remember ever having a hit single.
Listening to it, I'm not bowled over. It sorta sounds OK, and is acceptable background noise for writing because it has no discernible hooks to catch your attention and distract you from work. It sounds kinda dreamscapy and nice in a wallpaper sort of way, but I'm not hearing anything striking.
I'd give a little more point of interest to the A.C. Newman album Get Guilty. I'm not entirely knocked out, but I'm hearing a little bit more at least marginally distinctive compositions. Plus, it's somewhat more aggressive in sound. This might be called Beatle-y, just in the broad range. If you just ache with a jones for anything of a Beatles aesthetic, you could definitely do worse than this record. If you're looking for a little sample, you might start with tracking down "Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer."
Here's the complete list of this weeks major new CD album releases:
Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino Experimental Rock, Indie Rock
Antony and the Johnsons The Crying Light Secretly Canadian Chamber Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Andrew Bird Noble Beast Fat Possum Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
A.C. Newman Get Guilty Matador Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Abba The Albums Polydor Swedish Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Euro-Pop, AM Pop
Air Supply From the Heart Arista/Legacy Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary
Babyface From the Heart Epic Contemporary R&B, Adult Contemporary, Urban, Quiet Storm
Beausoleil Alligator Purse Yep Roc Traditional Cajun, Zydeco
Andrew Bird Noble Beast/Useless Creatures Fat Possum Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Bon Iver Blood Bank Jagjaguwar Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock
Anthony Braxton Quartet (Moscow) 2008 Leo Experimental Big Band, Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz, Avant-Garde, Structured Improvisation, Creative Orchestra
New CD Album Releases, 2-13-2009: B.I.G. Soundtrack Way thin pickings so far this new year. Notorious is the soundtrack to the new Notorious B.I.G. documentary. There are a few newly released recordings, and some early demo stuff.
Other than that, there's a new Joshua Redman album Compass, written as a sax/bass/drums trio format thing. Never paid a lot of attention to him, but the Amazon previews don't sound too bad. Might be worth a listen for jazz saxophone fans.
Here's hoping for some of Al Gore's promised global warming, and some better recordings next week.
Here's the list of the week's major album releases:
Original Soundtrack Notorious [Soundtrack] Bad Boy Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap, Gangsta Rap, Hip-Hop, Soundtracks
Joshua Redman Compass Nonesuch Post-Bop
The Derek Trucks Band Already Free Victor Jam Bands, Blues-Rock, Modern Electric Blues
Neil Ardley Harmony of the Spheres Decca Experimental Big Band, Jazz-Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
New CD Album Releases, 1-6-2009: Miles Davis Kind of Blue Box Set, Celine Dion, ABBA There seems to be downright NOTHIN' of interest in the range of new albums this first week of the new year. I didn't see so much as one real new album from anyone whom I even vaguely recognized by name. NOTHING.
Tell you how thin it's running: The most interesting music release is a Celine Dion DVD. It is somewhere near 3 1/2 hours, and all in French. Never listened to her in French. Maybe she sucks less in French.
One thing that does sound pretty sweet is the 50th anniversary super deluxe re-issue of Miles Davis Kind of Blue, which may be (and deservedly) the most famous jazz album ever made. I mean, just look at this picture of all the stuff spread out. It's listed as 4 discs, but there seem to be specifically three CDs, one vinyl album and some kind of DVD. There seem to be exactly four new tracks here, and multiple takes to make three discs. Plus of course there's a bunch of books and photos and such. Looks pretty sweet - except for the utterly ridiculous $70 price tag - especially for material that should by any rights long since be absolutely public domain.
New Album Releases, 12-30-2008: Year End Potpourri, with Adele, Stew's Passing Strange and the Born Again Floozies Last week of the year, and there are no known major new releases. But that makes a good time to note a couple of the more noteworthy releases of the year.
All in all, the best album of the year was probably the Born Again Floozies album Street Music. In short, this album has about the strongest overall set of underlying songs of any new album I heard this year, and a unique artistic vision and sound. Dig the complicated plot of the conflicted Judy Garland fan, the "Tough Guy." Plus, "We Got the Power" should be THE anthem for all the leftwing netroots types.
Plus, you got Joey Welch doing that fancy plinky, plinky, plinky thing on the guitar. And don't forget their best recording this year, which isn't even on the album - but available for free download "If You Want Me To Stay"
She made a little noise this year with her debut album 19, but Adele hasn't gotten the traction that she ought to have. Listening to the album a couple of times, and then a couple dozen more, I eventually figured out that many listens means I really liked the album a lot. "Chasing Pavements" was the main single, but "Cold Shoulder" is definitely my top pick - but the whole record is outstanding.
Ben Folds Way to Normal album definitely merits a mention. I'm not bowled over by a lot of it, but "Hiroshima (B-b-b-b-bennie hits his head)" in particular is one of his all time best pop songs, and frickin' hilarious. Among other things, it's his tribute/answer to "Bennie and the Jets" and by far the greatest tribute ever to Elton. But his way best song of the year was not on the album, but purposely very quickly written and recorded to release on the internet as a "fake." We'll get back to that with the best songs of 2008 list in a couple of weeks.
I'm one of Stew's biggest fans, but I'll admit to being somewhat lukewarm on his Tony winning Broadway play Passing Strange. It's pretty good, but some of the songs are definitely better than others. The "Baptist Fashion Show" is probably the best composition here. I also particularly like the totally self-conscious non-chalance of "We Just Had Sex." The whole soundtrack is certainly worth a listen.
I don't know that I have much to say about any of them, but some of the other records that made an impression on me came from Randy Newman, the Raconteurs, Dido and Portishead.
So that's it for one rough year for us all. May Jack White, Joey Welch and the Lord bless us with more musical beauty in 2009.
Here are some of the more noteworthy album releases of the last several months:
(k)no(w)here Wilderness
24 Postcards in Full Colour Max Richter
4 Dungen
Acid Tongue Jenny Lewis
All Shook Down [Expanded Edition] The Replacements
Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo
Alpinisms School of Seven Bells
Appearing Nightly Carla Bley & Her Remarkable Big Band
Arena Todd Rundgren
At Budokan: 30th Anniversary Collectors Edition Cheap Trick
At Carnegie Hall Buena Vista Social Club
BBC Sessions [Deluxe Edition] Belle & Sebastian
Beat Furrer: Fama [Hybrid SACD] Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart
Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse Lou Reed
Black Orpheus Various Artists
Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs - Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006 Bob Dylan
Break Up the Concrete The Pretenders
Break-A-Way: The Songs of Jackie DeShannon Various Artists
New CD Album Releases, 12-23-2008: Dim Lights, Thick Smoke Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Cowboy Copas, Eddy Arnold This Christmas week I see absolutely nothing in the way of new music of any interest whatsoever. But then, you probably wouldn't be expecting much.
But I see a lovely series of re-issues from the German import Bear Family records, Dim Lights, Thick Smoke & Hillbilly Music. These look really outstanding. They are putting out separate volumes year by year from 1945 to 1970. So you get some depth in 27 selections from 1945, for starters.
These Bear Family imports are expensive as hell - and this stuff should be (and a lot of it probably is) absolutely public domain. But Bear routinely fairly well justify themselves with great musicology, picking good or influential stuff beyond just the obvious artists and hits, and with routinely outstanding notes and documentation. Even if the Porky Freeman Trio is likely public domain, where would you have found it?
Just for starters, the 1945 set has big names (but not necessarily the most obvious songs) from Bob Wills, Gene Autry and Ernest Tubb. But also, I'd be more interested in checking out the unfamiliar Jenny Lou Carson, Wesley Tuttle & Jerry Irby.
Just advancing one year to 1946, you get among 29 songs Eddy Arnold, Tex Ritter and Grandpa Jones - but also folks that even so dedicated a hillbilly musicologist as me doesn't know, like Cousin Emmy and Hank Penny. I'd be particularly interested to hear the Buchanan Brothers sing about "Atomic Power."
1947 brings the familiar Tex Williams "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)" and Bill Monroe - but also Fairley Holden and Clyde Moody. I'm particularly curious what a hillbilly singer named Billy Hughes in 1947 would have to say about a "Cocaine Blues."
You get the point by now that these volumes are all look to be outstanding and thoughtfully put together. You get your Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Roy Acuff and Merle Travis - and also some Arkie Shibley and Skeets McDonald. Still, at $27 a pop for single discs, I got to say they're just ASKING for someone to turn the whole series into one big (free) bittorent.
Still, that's enough music new and/or long forgotten to you for sweet Christmas dreaming.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Eddy Arnold There's Been a Change in Me (1951-1955) Bear Family Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan, Country-Pop, Cowboy, Traditional Country, Honky Tonk
Brutha Brutha Def Jam Urban, Contemporary R&B
The Cadillacs Rock Bear Family Doo Wop, Early R&B
Don Gibson Rocks Bear Family Traditional Country, Country-Pop, Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan
Original Soundtrack Revolutionary Road [Soundtrack] Nonesuch Original Score, Soundtracks
Original Soundtrack Slumdog Millionaire [Soundtrack] Interscope Alternative Dance, Club/Dance, Original Score, Film Music, Soundtracks, Bollywood, Hip-Hop
Lloyd Price Rocks Bear Family New Orleans R&B, Early R&B, Rock & Roll
Shirley & Lee Shirley & Lee Rock Bear Family New Orleans R&B, Early R&B
Sterling Simms Yours, Mine and the Truth Def Jam Urban, Contemporary R&B
Various Artists Dim Lights, Thick Smoke 1945 Bear Family Honky Tonk, Western Swing, Cowboy, Traditional Country
Various Artists Dim Lights, Thick Smoke 1946 Bear Family Honky Tonk, Western Swing, Cowboy, Traditional Country
Various Artists Dim Lights, Thick Smoke 1947 Bear Family Honky Tonk, Western Swing, Cowboy, Traditional Country
Various Artists Dim Lights, Thick Smoke 1949 Bear Family Honky Tonk, Western Swing, Cowboy, Traditional Country
New CD Album Releases, 12-16-2008: Randy Travis, Keyshia Cole, Jamie Foxx, Heavy D Not much in the new album releases a week before Christmas. Jamie Foxx has now a third album. He played Ray Charles in a movie a few years ago, so he's a singer now. Whatever.
I listened to the Keyshia Cole A Different Me album, her third. It sounds like generic r&b. I couldn't tell this from a thousand other acts. The most noteworthy thing is that she managed to make the lead single "Playa Cards Right" a duet with Tupac, who's been dead for a dozen years now. The word "graverobbing" springs to mind. She's pretty cute, though.
Way the best musical thing I would recommend this week is a DVD from Randy Travis, Christmas on the Pecos. It's live footage, and I was particularly impressed with his performance of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." He also performs part of this in the Carlsbad Caverns, which certainly gives him and his choir some resonance. His first song in the cavern is "Rock of Ages." Very nice little Christmas video.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
The All-American Rejects When the World Comes Down DGC/Interscope/Doghouse Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Emo-Pop
Keyshia Cole A Different Me Geffen Urban, Contemporary R&B
New CD Album Releases, 12-9-2008: Brandy, Pavement, Twilight Soundtrack The only thing even vaguely interesting looking as we hit the music dog days of December is the new album from Brandy Rayana Norwood. After a couple of listens, I'd say Human is OK - at least minimally listenable, which is probably a better than average review from me for this kind of teen radio fare. I'd rather listen to her than Mariah Carey, anyway.
Other than that, I'm just not seeing a thing new worth talking about.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Brandy Human Epic Urban, Contemporary R&B, Adult Contemporary
Common Universal Mind Control Geffen Midwest Rap, Alternative Rap, Hip-Hop
Justice A Cross the Universe [CD/DVD] Atlantic Club/Dance, House, Electronica
Pavement Brighten the Corners [Nicene Creedence Edition] Matador Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Alternative Pop/Rock
Avant Avant Capitol Contemporary R&B, Urban
Carter Burwell Twilight [Original Score] Atlantic/WEA Soundtracks, Original Score
Colin Davis Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4 [Hybrid SACD] LSO Modern Orchestral Music
Arrington de Dionyso I See Beyond the Black Sun [Bonus Track] K Free Improvisation, Throat Singing, Experimental Rock, Traditional
Talivaldis Deksnis Peteris Vasks: Cantus ad pacem Wergo Contemporary Organ Music
Ferenc Fricsay Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2; Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 Audite Romantic Concertos for Piano & Orchestra
Tim Hawes Last Rose of Summer Zah Zah Post-Romantic, Contemporary & Modern Music for Brass
Headlights Remixes Polyvinyl Indie Pop, Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
Mark Kozelek The Finally LP Caldo Verde Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Sadcore
Maroon 5 Call and Response: The Remix Album A&M/Octone Pop
Daniel Reuss Ligeti: Lux aeterna Harmonia Mundi Contemporary Choral Music
Chip Taylor Songs from a Dutch Tour Megaforce Americana, Contemporary Folk
Thrice Live at the House of Blues Vagrant Post-Hardcore, Punk Revival, Alternative Metal, Screamo
Various Artists Motown: The Complete No. 1's Motown Motown, Early R&B, Soul
Various Artists Revolutions in Sound: Warner Bros. Records - The First 50 Years Warner Bros. AM Pop, Traditional Pop, Folk-Rock, Early Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary, Rock & Roll, Pop/Rock, Soul, Standards
New CD Album Releases, 12-2-2008: Akon, Neil Young, Britney Spears The big new thang this week is from Aliaune Thiam aka Akon, with his new joint Freedom. I was not overly impressed with that ow-ow-ow hit, or as it is known in these quarters, "The Bellyache Song." But this new one doesn't sound half bad. The first song, "Against the Grain" actually sounds like a pretty fair song. I dig "Birthmark" but probably the best song is probably the title song "Freedom." Actually, having listened to it again while writing, I find myself singing "Right Now." That's a pretty good sign.
But I'ma half to call him out on the production. Actually, the arrangements are decent. There's some bit of trumpets in that first song that are nice. But like Britney and T-Pain and such, they're effecting the vocals with the mechanized robot sounds or whatever it is they're doing that they lose the emotion of the singing. From what I can hear, he's a perfectly good singer, but it's hard telling under the electronic effects. Enough already.
As much as I among others mock Britney Spears, I figured it only fair that I make a little effort to actually listen to her album before I go on about how bad she sucks. In fairness, the new Circus album isn't that bad. A 46 year old man completely isn't her target market - but even at that, I find this record fairly listenable. I could stand to listen to this around some teenagers without puking, which is better than I might have expected. It trails off after awhile, but at least the first few songs at least sound pretty good while I'm listening to them.
Couple of points of criticism though: For one thing, the whole "circus" theme is boring narcissitic nonsense. Poor Britney being followed by photographers and people writing stories about her. Uh, you're in SHOW BUSINESS. Goes with the territory, don't it? If you REALLY didn't like all that attention, you could quit the business and move to some remote island. Yeah, I didn't think so.
But the main bad thing here musically is the nonsense manipulation of her vocals. Not that Britney's going to make you forget Aretha, but she's at least a competent vocalist. However, most of the vocals on the album are effected with this kind of T-Pain robotic nonsense. Just sing your damned song straight, and trust yourself to put it over.
These newly released Neil Young recordings from the vault, Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968, are noteworthy as the source of the main well known very beautiful and effective recording of "Sugar Mountain" that's on the Decade album.
There's also Cadillac Records, a new movie based on the Chess Records story. Don't know if it's any good, but I'd definitely skip the soundtrack in favor of Best Of Chess: Original Versions Of Songs in Cadillac Records. This features among other luminaries Chuck Berry and ever lovin' Howlin' Wolf.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Neil Young Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968 Reprise Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Country-Rock
Leonard Bernstein Paul Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice Shout! Factory Post-Romantic Orchestral Music
Boston Camerata A Boston Camerata Christmas Erato Christmas Music for Chorus
Rene Clemencic Eine schone Rose bluht Oehms Classics Hungarian Christmas Music for Chorus
Craig David Greatest Hits Warner Music Contemporary R&B, 2-Step/British Garage, Club/Dance, Urban, Garage/House
Adam Fischer Kodaaly: Hary Janos Suite; Summer Evening; Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song BMC Modern Orchestral Music
Burl Ives Favorites for Children Shout! Factory Children's Stories, Children's Folk
Danny Kaye Grimm's & Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales for Children Shout! Factory Fairy Tales, Children's Stories
Robert Uchida Andrew Violette: Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin Innova Contemporary Music for Violin
Original Soundtrack Cadillac Records Music World Music/Columbia Movie Themes, Original Score, Film Music, Soundtracks, Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Electric Blues
Original Soundtrack Cadillac Records [Bonus CD] Music World Music/Columbia Neo-Soul, Movie Themes, Original Score, Film Music, Soundtracks, Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Electric Blues
Panic at the Disco ...Live in Chicago Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen Emo-Pop, Punk-Pop
Carly & Lucy Simon Sing Songs for Children [2008 Reissue] Shout! Factory Folk Revival
Simply Red 25: The Greatest Hits Simplyred.com Sophisti-Pop, Blue-Eyed Soul, Adult Contemporary, Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop
Various Artists Best Of Chess: Original Versions Of Songs in Cadillac Records Chess Electric Chicago Blues, Rock & Roll, Soul, Electric Blues, Early R&B
New CD Album Releases, 11-25-2008: Guns N Roses Chinese Democracy review, Paul McCartney - Fireman, Ludacris, Kanye West, Trace Adkins This Thanksgiving week we can give thanks that Axl Rose somehow sobered up long enough to get the damn Chinese Democracy album out after 17 years of dinking around with it. Axl should probably be giving thanks to the blogger who leaked a big chunk of the album onto the net over the summer, thus putting a boot in his drunk ass to get thing finished and in the stores.
Frankly, I wasn't expecting much. In the first place, it's not really Guns N Roses, with only Axl and sidemen. The group was a lot more than just him. Plus, any album that you've fooled with for a couple of decades probably ain't going to be much. I take that as mostly indicating a lack of anything to say. Plus, Axl's white trash nonsense LONG since became tiresome.
Still, partly perhaps because my expectations were low, I'm fairly pleased with the album that he's finally managed to put out. It started out a little slow with me, but a half dozen listens have reasonably much impressed me. I have to give due credit for his artistic ambition and serious effort.
Now, there's no way this is going to make anyone forget classic GnR. The main reason is in songwriting. Chinese Democracy has some fairly outstanding songs, but Axl was not the only or even particularly the main songwriter. There's just no making up for there for the songwriting input of Izzy Stradlin in particular. There's no song on Chinese Democracy equal to "Welcome to the Jungle" or "Dust n Bones."
But the author of "November Rain" and "One in a Million" actually has some creative juice left. I don't know that he has any particularly intriguing new vision, but it sounds pretty good. As a vocalist, Axl is surprisngly (to me, at least) as effective as ever. Plus, the arrangements and orchestrations are largely excellent and make the most of the songs. He's basically followed the progressive orchestral approach of the Illusion albums, which is a very good thing. It gives him a broad sonic palette. His ambitions toward Queen and Elton John have served him well.
So far on this album, I most favor "IRS." Partly, that's because it's plain old fashioned catchy. I also dig "Madagascar," though singing about cocaine in the bar, for example, is kinda played out. I haven't particularly picked up on most of the text of the lyrics - I'm only going to care about them once I'm sold on melody and beats and other musical elements - but Axl talking about drinking or drugs is the kind of thing that will tend to make me not particularly motivated to actually look up the words to see what exactly he's saying. Most of the saying of an album comes from the music anyway.
Still and all, I recommend this Chinese Democracy album fairly strongly to anyone who digs classic GnR.
Paul McCartney has a new album out - a point which seems to have gotten fairly little attention. That seems to be partly by purposeful intent on his part, though, recording under The Fireman pseudonym. This is nominally a duo album with producer and Killing Joke bassist Martin Glover aka Youth, but all the songs are credited to McCartney. This is their third Fireman album (along with Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest from 1993 and Rushes from 1998), but apparently the first one which McCartney has publicly acknowledged. Indeed, he's flown so far under the radar with these that even I had not been aware of the existence of these earlier albums. These earlier albums have been described as electronica. He also collaborated with Glover on the McCartney named Liverpool Sound Collage record, so he seems to be McCartney's idea of a go-to guy for experimental or avant garde stuff.
Generally, the idea on this album seems to be to make something lightly, with no commercial expectations - less pressure and more freedom to experiment. They don't sound all that exotic. The strategy here apparently was to write and record a song in a single day. That's thirteen days scattered across the last year.
On a couple of listens, this seems pretty listenable. "Dance Till We're High" would probably be my pick at this point. There's no big classic here, which he's achieved as recently "Riding to Vanity Fair." But it's better than the average Macca album of the last 20ish years. It's worth a listen for big Paul McCartney fans.
My beloved sister in law is all about Trace Adkins, so I figured on giving his new X album a listen. Sis is a good ol' gal, but what she sees in this guy escapes me - at least based on this album. They could have put this out with a stock photo image of a cowboy hat on the cover and released it generically as Country Album. Like almost all modern commercial country radio music, this sounds like watetered down and de-racinated 70s Southern rock (generic .38 Special - which was already pretty generic) mixed with dumbed down 70s singer-songwriter ballads of the most wholesome and least interesting kind. I guess he's kind of cute in a Brokeback Mountain kinda way, though.
Perhaps in some pangs of white guilt for not voting for Obama, I have listened to the new Ludicrus Theater of the Mind album. This is an hour of my life that I can't get back. I'm considering suing Ludicrus for fraudulently pretending to have made "music." I'm afraid I'd make it sound vaguely interesting if I fully expressed my contempt for this nonsense, and it's just not interesting. There's just nothing here but low end bass sounds engineered to sound scary and menacing being boomed out of cars, but there's nothing vaguely interesting about even the beats. Beyond being bad and utterly tuneless, it's just contemptible on the basis of the ridiculously tired and cliched lyrics. We're hearing "history" because Ludacris has some even less talented moron guesting on his track. He makes more money than all the hatas cause he's sold 12 million albums. Well, 12 million Ludicrus fans CAN in fact be wrong. Plus, he's going to screw all the whores, has the finest drugs, and he will bust a cap in a nigga's ass. Yada, yada, yada.
More interesting musically and artistically was Adam Samberg's Blizzard Man sketch on SNL when Ludicrus was on last week, specifically parodying his partner T-Pain's cheesy robot rap shtick. The Ludicrus album is in fact ludicrous. It would be an SNL sketch mocking rap cliches, except that it's not funny. Chris Parnell is a MUCH more talented rapper than these guys.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
The Fireman Electric Arguments ATO Neo-Psychedelia, Pop/Rock
Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy Geffen Album Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
The Killers Day & Age Island New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Alternative Pop/Rock
Scott Weiland Happy in Galoshes Soft Drive Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Grunge
Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak Roc-A-Fella Midwest Rap, Urban, Pop-Rap, Pop
Trace Adkins X Capitol/EMI New Traditionalist, Contemporary Country
Arild Andersen Live at Belleville ECM Avant-Garde Jazz, Post-Bop
Arion Maria, Madre di Dio Early-Music.com Baroque Solo Cantatas & Sacred Music
Jeff Beck Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Eagle Guitar Virtuoso, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock
David Byrne/Brian Eno Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Todomundo Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Los Campesinos! We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed Arts & Crafts Indie Rock, Indie Pop
Coldplay Prospekt's March Capitol Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Rivers Cuomo Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo Geffen Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Datsuns Smoke & Mirrors Hell Squad/Cooking Vinyl Garage Punk, Hard Rock
Death Cab for Cutie Something About Airplanes [Deluxe Edition] Barsuk Indie Rock, Twee Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock
E-40 The Ball Street Journal Reprise/BME West Coast Rap, Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap
Feist The Reminder [Deluxe Edition] Cherry Tree/Interscope Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
Angela Gheorghiu My Puccini [CD+DVD] EMI Classics Romantic Opera
Goldfrapp Seventh Tree [Bonus DVD] Mute Alternative Pop/Rock, Electronica
Good Charlotte The Greatest Remixes Epic Punk-Pop, Punk Revival
Hall & Oates Live at the Troubadour Shout! Factory Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary
Hollyridge Strings The Beach Boys Song Book, Vols. 1-2 Collectors' Choice Music/EMI Mood Music, Orchestral Pop
New CD Album Releases, 11-18-2008: Dido, Beyonce, David Cook Dido's probably the best pick this week. I've listened to Safe Trip Home a couple of times. So far, it sounds pretty good all the way through - but I can't remember a bit of any of these songs after a couple listens. Yet I can tell how carefully and intricately the tunes are constructed. They just don't strike me as being very catchy.
But she has a compelling voice and arrangements. She's clearly spent a lot of time and emotional energy on these very human grooves. This is only her third album, ten years in. I've seen her described as "trip hop," but that doesn't really seem right. For one thing, her electronics just ain't that heavy. It's worth hearing.
Beyonce is back with I Am...Sasha Fierce. Apparently there's supposed to be some kind of concept thing, but I'm not quite impressed enough with what I've heard to care enough to cipher it out.
I saw her big throw down on Saturday Night Live. She puts on a very convincing diva performance. She's just big and beautiful and physically imposing, aggressive and dominating with them big lungs. She knows how to strut a stage and lay out the drama. And that band sure swings like a bitch. I'm just not sure either of those songs were that great as basic compositions.
The one thing I do remember though, which might have something to do with the album concept, is that the first song was about a lesbian relationship. Beyonce very emphatically conjuring up images of herself in a lesbian rut is admittedly appealing. I just can't quite remember the hooks. But I'll have to give this a closer listen.
David Cook is an American Idol winner. He has an album. I'm sure that it's fine CD and that it plays.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Belle & Sebastian The BBC Sessions [Deluxe Edition] Matador Indie Pop, Chamber Pop
Beyonce I Am...Sasha Fierce [Deluxe Edition] Music World Music/Columbia Pop, Adult Contemporary, Urban, Contemporary R&B
David Cook David Cook 19 Recordings/RCA Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge, Pop
Dido Safe Trip Home Arista Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Ace Hood Gutta Def Jam Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap
Angelo Badalamenti The Edge of Love [Original Soundtrack] Ume Imports Original Score
Beyonce I Am...Sasha Fierce Columbia Pop, Adult Contemporary, Urban, Contemporary R&B
Marat Bisengaliev Karl Jenkins: The Concertos EMI Classics Modern Music for Soloists & Orchestra
Jeffrey Bryant Mozart: Horn Concertos Nos. 1-4; Rondo in e-flat major Sheridan Square Classical Music for Horn & Orchestra
Isobel Campbell/Mark Lanegan Sunday at Devil Dirt Fontana International Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Pelle Carlberg The Lilac Time Labrador Swedish Pop/Rock, Indie Pop, Twee Pop
Miley Cyrus Breakout [Platinum Edition] [CD/DVD] Hollywood Teen Pop, Dance-Pop
Il Divo The Promise Syco Music/Columbia Classical Crossover, Classical Pop, Vocal Pop
The Doors Live at the Matrix, San Francisco, March 10, 1967 Rhino/Bright Midnight Archive Psychedelic, Rock & Roll
Thomas Fey Haydn: Complete Symphonies No. 70, No. 73, No. 75 Haenssler Classic Classical Music for Orchestra
Frizzell & Friends This Is Our Time Nashville America Honky Tonk, Traditional Country
Sammy Hagar Cosmic Universal Fashion Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Arena Rock, Hard Rock, Pop/Rock, Pop-Metal, Album Rock
Barbara Hendricks Barbara Sings the Blues Arte Verum Modern & Contemporary Vocal Music
David Holmes The Holy Pictures Mercury Funky Breaks, Electronica, Club/Dance, Techno
Randy Houser Anything Goes Universal South Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
Femi Kuti Day by Day Mercer Street/Downtown Afro-Beat, Deep Funk Revival
Ladyhawke Ladyhawke Modular Indie Electronic
Ricky Martin 17 Sony International Latin Pop, Dance-Pop
Momus Joemus American Patchwork Indie Pop, Chamber Pop
Morley Seen Wrasse Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Jason Mraz We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things [2CD/DVD] Atlantic Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock
Mudvayne The New Game Epic Alternative Metal
Nickelback Dark Horse Roadrunner Post-Grunge, Alternative Metal
The Orb The BBC Sessions 1989-2001 Universal/Island UK IDM, Ambient House, Ambient Dub, Electronica, Ambient Techno, Club/Dance
Michael Reisman Philip Glass Soundtracks Orange Mountain Music Contemporary Music for Piano
Original Soundtrack Gonzo: Music from the Film Legacy Soundtracks
Phish At the Roxy (Atlanta '93) Jemp Jam Bands, American Trad Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
Earl Scruggs The Ultimate Collection: Live at the Ryman Rounder Traditional Bluegrass, Traditional Folk, Contemporary Bluegrass
Senor Coconut Around the World [Bonus Tracks] Nacional Indie Electronic, Experimental Techno, Latin Pop
Senor Coconut El Baile Aleman [Bonus Tracks] Nacional Tribute Albums, Latin Dance, Synth Pop, Experimental Techno
Blake Shelton Startin' Fires Warner Bros. New Traditionalist, Contemporary Country
Stereophonics Decade in the Sun: The Best of Stereophonics [Deluxe Edition CD/DVD] Fontana Universal British Trad Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Rod Stewart The Definitive Rod Stewart [Deluxe Edition CD/DVD] Warner Bros. Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll, Dance-Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul, British Blues, Arena Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Various Artists Boots, Buckles & Spurs: 50 Songs Celebrate 50 Years of Cowboy Tradition Sony Legacy Outlaw Country, Contemporary Country, Country-Pop, Cowboy, Traditional Country
Various Artists The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 11A: 1971 Hip-O Select Smooth Soul, Motown, Funk, Soul
Gene Vincent Born to Be a Rolling Stone Topline Rock & Roll, Folk-Rock, Garage Rock
Wu-Tang Clan Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan Loud/Legacy Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap, Hip-Hop
Hector Zazou/Swara In the House of Mirrors Crammed Disc Spiritual, Indian Classical, Ethnic Fusion, Progressive Electronic
New CD Album Releases, 11-11-2008: Cheap Trick, Christina Aguilera, Flaming Lips, Seal, Enya Christina Aguilera has a Target store only release Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits. It has four new songs.
The Flaming Lips have a soundtrack album for the seven years in gestation movie Christmas on Mars. On the one hand, anything fooled with for that long makes me suspicious. I'd expect the soup to be long cold, and for stuff to be just way too convoluted from way too long a time devoted to navel gazing. On the other hand, these guys are the authors of such classics as "Sponge Bob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy." So perhaps this needs a listen.
Seal has a new album of covers, Soul. He was always more from the clubs and not a classic style soul singer, so it may be more of a stretch than an obvious move. What exactly would he do with stuff like "I've Been Loving You Too Long"? Also, Seal often seems to me to be at least as notable for vocal skills and production as for his songwriting.
All that aside though, the cool thing is the big Cheap Trick At Budokan: 30th Anniversary Collectors Edition. I have a separate write-up on this beauty. Those 1978 performances performances were not as polished or nuanced in their arrangements as the studio versions, but you could just almost SEE the tongues of fire over their heads as they were filled with the holy ghost of Elvis speaking in foreign tongues to these Asian teenyboppers.
The supercool thing about this new three CD set is that it comes with a DVD of one whole show out of the two from which the original album was culled. That's just maximum coolness to us old dudes what have worn out a couple of copies of the original album to actually SEE the performances after all these years. This is highly recommeded.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Christina Aguilera Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits RCA Pop, Teen Pop, Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop, Urban, Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Adult Contemporary
Cheap Trick At Budokan: 30th Anniversary Collectors Edition [3CD/1DVD] Epic/Legacy Album Rock, Arena Rock, Pop/Rock, Power Pop, New Wave, Early Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
The Flaming Lips Christmas on Mars Warner Bros. Noise Pop, Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Experimental, Alternative Pop/Rock, Experimental Rock, Original Score New Order Movement [Collector's Edition] Rhino Dance-Rock, College Rock, Post-Punk, Club/Dance, Synth Pop
Taylor Swift Fearless Big Machine Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
T-Pain Thr33 Ringz Jive Urban, Pop-Rap
David Archuleta David Archuleta Jive Pop, Teen Pop, Adult Contemporary
Sara Bareilles Between the Line: Sara Bareilles Live at Fillmore Epic Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Natasha Bedingfield Pocketful of Sunshine [Bonus DVD] Epic Teen Pop, Dance-Pop, Adult Contemporary
The Boxmasters Christmas Cheer Vanguard Christmas, Alternative Country
Little River Band One Night In Mississippi Scream Marketing Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary
Live Live at the Paradiso Amsterdam Action Front/Vanguard Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Love Is All A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night What's Your Rupture New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Pop
Luomo Convivial Huume Microhouse, Club/Dance
Andrea Marcon Vivaldi: Concertos for Two Violins Archiv Produktion Baroque Music for 2 Violins & Orchestra
Mudcrutch Mudcrutch Extended Play Live Reprise Country-Rock, Rock & Roll
New Order Brotherhood [Collector's Edition] Rhino Dance-Rock, College Rock, Alternative Dance, Alternative Pop/Rock, Club/Dance, Synth Pop
New Order Low-life [Collector's Edition] Rhino Dance-Rock, College Rock, Alternative Dance, Alternative Pop/Rock, Synth Pop, Club/Dance
New Order Power, Corruption & Lies [Collector's Edition] Rhino Dance-Rock, College Rock, Alternative Dance, Alternative Pop/Rock, Synth Pop, Club/Dance
New Order Technique [Collector's Edition] Rhino Dance-Rock, College Rock, Alternative Dance, Alternative Pop/Rock, House, Club/Dance, Synth Pop
Liping Zhang Arias EMI Classics Romantic & Post-Romantic Music for Voice & Orchestra
Original Soundtrack Rachel Getting Married [Soundtrack] Lakeshore Original Score, Soundtracks
The Postmarks By-the-Numbers Unfiltered Indie Pop
Cliff Richard The 50th Anniversary Album EMD Int'l Early Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary, Soft Rock, Teen Idol, Pop/Rock
Seal Soul Warner Bros. Neo-Soul, Adult Contemporary
The Sight Below Glider Ghostly International Experimental Ambient, Ambient Techno
Six Feet Under Death Rituals Metal Blade Heavy Metal, Death Metal/Black Metal
The Smiths The Sound of the Smiths Rhino College Rock, Indie Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock
23 Skidoo Just Like Everybody [LTM] LTM Post-Punk, Experimental, Industrial
New CD Album Releases, 11-4-2008: Brad Paisley, Mavis Staples, Harry Connick Jr Looks like pretty thin gruel this election day - and there's not much in the way of good new music either. But Brad Paisley's Play: The Guitar Album might be worth a listen. This album is largely instrumental, and includes contributions from among others BB King and Andy Griffith. I particularly like the CD cover image, which invokes the alternate idea of "playing" in a schoolyard. I'd be particularly interested in hearing the "Cluster Pluck." Besides the clever title, it includes the clustered talents of among others James Burton and Albert Lee.
Mavis Staples recorded Live: Hope at the Hideout this June. This includes classic political/religious songs like "Eyes On the Prize" as well as some new songs co-written with her producer Ry Cooder.
Christmas albums are a Harry Connick Jr specialty. This year we get What a Night! A Christmas Album. It is all vintage holiday songs, including "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "We Three Kings."
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Danielson Trying Hartz Secretly Canadian Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Hinder Take It to the Limit Universal Republic Post-Grunge
Megapuss Surfing Ada/Vapor Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Experimental Rock
Brad Paisley Play: The Guitar Album Arista Nashville/Sony BMG Nas Neo-Traditionalist Country, Instrumental Country, Contemporary Country, Guitar Virtuoso
Q-Tip The Renaissance Universal Motown East Coast Rap, Alternative Rap, Hip-Hop
Drew Andrews Only Mirrors Minty Fresh Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock
Nicholas Angelich Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 1-3 Virgin Classics Romantic Chamber Music
Sarah Brightman A Winter Symphony Manhattan Holiday, Adult Contemporary, Christmas
Peter Brotzmann The Brain of the Dog in Section Atavistic Free Improvisation, Modern Free
Dennis Brown The Best of Dennis Brown: The Niney Years Universal Roots Reggae, Smooth Reggae, Lovers Rock
Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 & 2 Inside Singer/Songwriter
Willie Clayton Soul and Blues Malaco Retro-Soul, Soul-Blues, Deep Soul, Southern Soul, Soul, Chicago Blues, Chicago Soul
Harry Connick, Jr. What a Night! A Christmas Album Columbia Traditional Pop
The Corporation Get on Our Swing/Hassles in My Mind Big Beat Psychedelic Pop
Travis Ode to J. Smith Red Phone Box British Trad Rock, Britpop
Various Artists Break-A-Way: The Songs of Jackie DeShannon Ace UK Brill Building Pop, Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Early Pop/Rock, Sunshine Pop, Folk-Pop
Various Artists J&S Harlem Soul Kent UK Soul
Various Artists Malt Shop Memories: Dancing in the Street Time Life AM Pop, Teen Idol, Girl Group, Early Pop/Rock, Rock & Roll
Various Artists SuperFunk, Vol. 6: The Mighty SuperFunk - Rare 45s and Undiscovered Masters 1967-1978 Beat Goes Public Funk
Various Artists Titan: It's All Pop! Numero Power Pop
Wild Beasts Limbo, Panto [Bonus Tracks] Domino Indie Rock
Wilderness (k)no(w)here Jagjaguwar Indie Rock
James Yorkston When the Haar Rolls In [#1] Domino Alternative Folk, British Folk-Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Progressive Folk, Contemporary Folk, Folk-Rock
ZZ Top Live from Texas Eagle Boogie Rock, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock
New CD Album Releases, 10-28-2008: Hank Williams, Toby Keith, Pink, Ryan Adams The biggest release this week is That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy from Toby Keith. I generally actively avoid modern commercial country music, but Keith has actually had at least a couple of good songs in time. He's definitely above average in such things. Plus, he's perhaps the only person alive who hates the danged Dixie Chicks worse than I do, so I'll have to give him some credit there.
Pink has a new album called Funhouse. Again, I'm probably not particularly the target market for this teen pop radio fodder, but Alecia Moore has definitely had at least several outstanding songs. Apparently she has broken up with her husband, and this is something of a divorce album. I doubt it'll make anyone forget Blood on the Tracks, but it would likely be worth a listen. Apparently she still gets along with the ex well enough to have him in the video, so that's nice.
Beyond any of that, there's a Time/Life box set of Hank Williams Sr, 54 tracks on three CDs of 1951 recordings for Mother's Best Flour Company. You'd think that some 50 years on, they'd have pretty well long since scraped the barrel for Hank Sr. But even the barrel scrapings of Hank the First beat almost anything else going. Plus, I do not recognize a good many of these song titles.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Ryan Adams/The Cardinals Cardinology Lost Highway Alternative Country-Rock, Singer/Songwriter
The Cure 4:13 Dream Geffen Alternative Pop/Rock
Deerhunter Microcastle Kranky Experimental Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental, Indie Rock
Eagles of Death Metal Heart On Universal Hard Rock, Garage Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock
Kaiser Chiefs Off with Their Heads B-Unique/Universal Motown Indie Rock
Pink Funhouse LaFace Dance-Pop, Urban, Pop/Rock
Snow Patrol A Hundred Million Suns Geffen/Fiction Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Dave Alvin The Best of the Hightone Years Shout! Factory Heartland Rock, Americana, Roots Rock
Burt Bacharach Live at the Sydney Opera House Verve Pop, AM Pop, Movie Themes, Film Music, Soundtracks, Early Pop/Rock
Black Milk Tronic Fat Beats Midwest Rap, Underground Rap
Cause Co-Motion! It's Time! Singles & EPs 2005-08 Slumberland Indie Rock
Ry Cooder The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed Rhino Contemporary Blues, Roots Rock, Country-Rock, Blues-Rock, Album Rock, Americana, Film Music, Instrumental Rock
Cradle of Filth Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder Roadrunner Goth Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal/Black Metal, Symphonic Black Metal
Crystal Stilts Alight of Night Slumberland Indie Rock, Noise Pop
Diana Damrau Donna: Opera and Concert Arias by Mozart Virgin Classics Classical Vocal Music
Bo Diddley Gold Geffen Rock & Roll, Early R&B, Electric Chicago Blues
Celine Dion My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection Sony Adult Contemporary, Soft Rock
The 88 Not Only... But Also Island Indie Rock, Indie Pop
I Am Robot and Proud Uphill City Darla Indie Electronic, IDM
It's a Musical Music Makes Me Sick Morr/M.M. Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Kara Karayev Kara Karayev: Symphony No. 3. Leyla and Mejnun; Don Quixote Naxos Modern Orchestral Music
Toby Keith That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy Show Dog Nashville Contemporary Country
Angelika Kirchschlager My Heart Alone Sony Classical Operetta Arias and Duets
Kottonmouth Kings The Green Album Suburban Noize Rap-Metal, Alternative Metal, Funk Metal
Erich Kunzel Vintage Cinema Telarc Orchestral Film Music
Lady Gaga The Fame Interscope Urban, Dance-Pop
John Legend Evolver G.O.O.D./Columbia Contemporary R&B, Pop
Jerry Lee Lewis The Original Greatest Hits Time/Life Rock & Roll, Rockabilly, Honky Tonk, Traditional Country
Living Colour CBGB Omfug Masters CBGB Alternative Metal, Alternative Pop/Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, College Rock, Album Rock
New CD Album Releases, 10-21-2008: AC/DC, TSOP, High School Musical, Lee Ann Womack The big deal this week is the Wal-Mart exclusive Black Ice, the first new AC/DC album in seven years. I've listened to it now a couple of times, and I'm somewhat less unimpressed than I would have expected. When my high school classmates were losing their minds over Back in Black, I was knee deep in Elvis Costello. Still, that was a classic album, and I wouldn't deny "Highway to Hell" or Dirty Deeds. There were some real actual songs under some of that crunch.
But they're a steady state band, and they've been making the same album for most of 30 years now. I cannot tell one of these songs apart from the other. Each one sounds like almost every song they've made. Still, this sounds a little sharper and more energetic to my ears than anything recently. It's re-assuring to a rock fan my age to see them carrying on credibly. You'd think that Brian Johnson's throat would be LONG gone, but he's shredding as good as ever. God bless AC/DC.
Love Train: The Ultimate Sound of Philadelphia is an AWESOME four CD set with extensive liner notes from the Philly International label. In the 60s and 70s, writer-producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff made their label competitive artistically and commercially even to Motown and the mighty Stax. This right here is about five hours of back to back awesomeness. Plus, hearing these various artists and styles all together creates an extra layer of meaning and cohesion from the also awesome joy of randomly hearing these songs scattered around the radio.
Now if you have multiple albums apiece from the Spinners, the O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, Harold Melvin, the Delfonics, Jerry Butler and the Stylistics, you might could get away without this set. But even at that, it includes groovy things like a rare side credited to Leon Huff his bad self, "I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin."
Even if you're a youngun born after all these things were recorded, you most likely know a third of these songs or more, cause quality lasts. Your life is just incomplete if you don't know "Back Stabbers" and "It's a Shame" and a bunch of these other songs and hold them close to your heart. Plus, this has extensive history and liner notes to further your proper appreciation. You probably need this collection in your life. In fact, I'ma make a note to put Gamble and Huff on my Thanksgiving gratitude list this year.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
AC/DC Black Ice Columbia Aussie Rock, Album Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Arena Rock
The Dears Missiles Dangerbird Post-Rock/Experimental, Indie Rock
Of Montreal Skeletal Lamping Polyvinyl Indie Pop, Neo-Psychedelia
Original Soundtrack High School Musical 3: Senior Year Walt Disney Teen Pop, Original Score, Musicals, Pop/Rock
Wilbert Aerts Violin Faces Fuga Libera Modern and Contemporary Music for Violin
Pierre-Laurent Aimard Hommage a Messiaen Deutsche Grammophon Modern Music for Piano
Roy Ayers Ubiquity Change Up the Groove Verve Soul-Jazz, Instrumental Pop
Azymuth Butterfly Far Out UK Brazilian Jazz, Fusion, Jazz-Funk
Ray Barretto Jazz Universal Afro-Cuban Jazz, Latin Jazz, New York Salsa, Salsa
Anthony Braxton The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton Mosaic Structured Improvisation, Creative Orchestra, Experimental Big Band, Avant-Garde Jazz
Camerata Berolinensis Johann Stamitz, Christoph Willibald Gluck: Sinfonie a tre Musikmanufaktur Berlin Classical Orchestral and Chamber Music
Dead Trees King of Rosa Milan Indie Rock, American Trad Rock
Brett Dennen Hope for the Hopeless Dualtone Contemporary Folk, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock
New CD Album Releases, 10-14-2008: Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Aretha Franklin, Kenny Chesney Kenny Chesney has a new album out, Lucky Old Sun. Sounds like lazy beach music, from what I've heard about it. I know he's sold some records, but has he ever had a memorable song? I can't remember any.
Lucinda Williams has been rather less commercially succesful, probably largely because she's made something more like real country music. Couldn't play her back to back on the radio with some Shania Twain or Garth Brooks crap, or there'd be riots. She's back this week with Little Honey. Yet as I write this, I find that Chesney's #62 at Amazon - and Miss Lucinda is number frickin' ONE! Yee-haw! She's generally known more for brooding introspection, but her comments, previews and reviews of this album all sound rather happier than usual.
There's a three disc set of Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison. The set includes two CDs, and a vintage documentary of Johnny at Folsom, January 13, 1968.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Kenny Chesney Lucky Old Sun [Deluxe Edition] Blue Chair/BNA/Sony BMG Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
Nikka Costa Pebble to a Pearl Stax Neo-Soul, Retro-Soul
Keane Perfect Symmetry Island Alternative Pop/Rock
Ray LaMontagne Gossip in the Grain RCA Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Lucinda Williams Little Honey Lost Highway Alternative Folk, Americana, Alternative Country-Rock
Daniel Barenboim Mozart: Requiem; Bruckner: Te Deum EMI Classics Classical and Romantic Choral Music
Paris Bennett A Royal Christmas CC Holiday, Contemporary R&B, Christmas, Adult Contemporary
Tony Bennett A Swingin' Christmas RPM Records/Columbia Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop, Christmas
David Bowie iSelect Astralwerks Album Rock, Experimental Rock, Pop/Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Buena Vista Social Club At Carnegie Hall Nonesuch Cha-Cha, Son, Bolero, Mambo
Buttless Chaps Cartography Mint Indie Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison [Legacy Edition 2CD/DVD] Columbia/Legacy Traditional Country, Country-Pop, Progressive Country
Vic Chesnutt/Elf Power/The Amorphous Strums Dark Developments Orange Twin Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock
Comeback Kid Through the Noise Victory Hardcore Punk
Chris Connelly Forgiveness and Exile Durtro/Jnana Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Post-Rock/Experimental, Improvisation, Structured Improvisation, Avant-Garde
Julian Cope Black Sheep Head Heritage Neo-Psychedelia, Alternative Pop/Rock
Copeland You Are My Sunshine Tooth & Nail Alternative Pop/Rock
Billy Currington Little Bit of Everything Mercury Nashville Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
Detroit Grand Pubahs Nuttin' Butt Funk Detelefunk Electro-Techno, Detroit Techno, Club/Dance, Techno
Dillinger Four Civil War Fat Wreck Chord Punk Revival, Post-Hardcore, Punk-Pop
Eroica Trio An American Journey EMI Classics Modern and Contemporary Chamber Music
The Fleshtones Stocking Stuffer Yep Roc Garage Rock Revival, Christmas
The Foreign Exchange Leave It All Behind Hall of Justus/Nicolay Music Contemporary R&B, Underground Rap, Hip-Hop
Aretha Franklin This Christmas [Borders Exclusive] DMI Holiday, Contemporary R&B, Christmas, Adult Contemporary
Bobbie Gentry Ode to Billie Joe/Touch 'Em with Love Raven Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan, Country-Pop, Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock, Early Pop/Rock
Gloria Dei Cantores Mark O'Connor: Folk Mass Omac Contemporary Choral Music
Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs Dirt Don't Hurt Transdreamer Punk Blues
Gomez Bring It On [10th Anniversary Collector's Edition] Caroline British Trad Rock, Britpop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Paul Hillier Toivo Tulev: Songs [Hybrid SACD] Harmonia Mundi Contemporary Vocal Music
I'm from Barcelona Who Killed Harry Houdini? Mute Indie Pop, Chamber Pop
Al Jarreau Christmas Rhino Contemporary Jazz, Holiday, Vocal Jazz, Christmas, Smooth Jazz, Crossover Jazz
Joe Greatest Hits Zomba Contemporary R&B, Urban, Adult Contemporary
Los Lonely Boys Christmas Spirit Epic Roots Rock, Tex-Mex, Modern Electric Blues
The Louvin Brothers Country Love Ballads/Ira and Charlie Raven Close Harmony, Traditional Country, Traditional Bluegrass, Bluegrass-Gospel
Menahan Street Band Make the Road by Walking Daptone Downtempo, Retro-Soul
Ingrid Michaelson Be OK Original Signal Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
The Mighty Underdogs Droppin' Science Fiction Definitive Jux Alternative Rap, West Coast Rap, Hip-Hop, Underground Rap
John Michael Montgomery Time Flies Rocket Science Contemporary Country
Anne-Sophie Mutter Bach: Violin Concertos; Gubaidulina: In tempus praesens Deutsche Grammophon Baroque and Contemporary Music for Violin and Orchestra
The Organ Thieves Mint Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival
Original Soundtrack How to Lose Friends and Alienate People Island/Mercury Soundtracks, British Invasion, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Original Soundtrack W [Soundtrack] Lion's Gate Outlaw Country, Soundtracks, Honky Tonk
Teddy Pendergrass Life Is a Song Worth Singing [Total Soul Classics] Sony Legacy Philly Soul, Soul, Quiet Storm
Benoît Pioulard Temper Kranky Indie Electronic, Electronica, Post-Rock/Experimental, Dream Pop
Secret Machines Secret Machines TSM Alternative Pop/Rock
Sixpence None the Richer The Dawn of Grace Nettwerk Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Todd Snider Peace Queer Mega Force Americana, Alternative Country, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Phoebe Snow Live Verve Forecast Singer/Songwriter, Pop/Rock, Contemporary Folk
J.D. Souther If the World Was You Mega Force Jazz-Rock, Soft Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers Inside Tracks Telarc Modern Electric Blues
Various Artists The Big Top Records Story: Classic New York Pop 1958-1964 Ace Brill Building Pop, Doo Wop, Early Pop/Rock, Teen Idol, Girl Group, Rock & Roll, R&B
Various Artists Country Boy's Dream Bear Family Americana, Country Boogie, Instrumental Country, Honky Tonk, Bluegrass, Country-Folk, Rockabilly, Western Swing, Country-Pop, Traditional Country
Various Artists Do-Wah-Diddy: Words and Music by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry Ace Brill Building Pop, Girl Group, Early Pop/Rock
The Vivian Girls Vivian Girls In The Red Noise Pop, Indie Pop
New CD Album Releases, 10-7-2008: Bob Dylan, Philip Glass, the Clash I suppose the big new album release this week would have to be the newest edition in Bob Dylan's official "bootleg" seris, The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs - Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006. This will cover from Oh Mercy to Modern Times. Granted I haven't heard all of every album in this period, but seriously with the Dylan worship. This guy hasn't written a memorable song since the classic Infidels in 1981. Do you REALLY need to hear a bunch of outtakes that will be even crappier than the useless albums they were left off of? Do you really have any reason to hear songs that weren't good enough to make it on Oh Mercy? You know, you could just as well listen to Blood on the Tracks again.
One thing that might actually be worth checking out would be the Clash Live at Shea Stadium. They might not have known squat about politics, and they all deserve to go to hell for titling an album in tribute to the goddam Sandinistas, but they were a hell of a rock band, no two ways about it.
Modern avant composer Philip Glass has a new album this week, Glass Box. This guy is just utterly unlistenable crap from every note I've ever heard of him. Really, I mention him just for the opportunity of invoking a song from a more accomplished artist - Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog. "Philip Glass, atonal ass. You're not immune, write a song with a f*&$ing tune." Amen.
Other than that, we're getting down to a bunch of Christmas albums, including titles from Julian Koster, Elliott Yamin, George Strait and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Deerhoof Offend Maggie Kill Rock Stars Indie Rock, Noise-Rock, Noise Pop
Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs - Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006 Columbia/Legacy Singer/Songwriter, Rock & Roll
Lambchop OH (Ohio) Merge Chamber Pop, Alternative Country-Rock, Indie Rock
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's Not Animal Epic Indie Rock
Oasis Dig Out Your Soul Big Brother/Reprise British Trad Rock, Britpop, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Jay Reatard Matador Singles '08 Matador Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Garage Punk
Damon Aaron Highlands Ubiquity Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Electronic, Urban Folk
John Adams John Adams: Hallelujah Junction - A Nonesuch Retrospective Nonesuch Contemporary Orchestral, Vocal and Chamber Music
The Annuals Such Fun Columbia/Red Indie Rock
Antony and the Johnsons Another World Secretly Canadian Indie Pop, Chamber Pop
Aqualung Words & Music Verve Forecast Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Big & Rich Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak, Vol. 2 Warner Bros. Contemporary Country, Country-Pop, Progressive Country
Charles Bruffy Spotless Rose: Hymns to the Virgin Mary [Hybrid SACD] Chandos Modern and Contemporary Choral Music
Harold Budd/Clive Wright A Song for Lost Blossoms Darla Modern Composition, Minimalism, Ambient
Castanets City of Refuge Asthmatic Kitty Indie Rock
Catfish Haven Devastator Secretly Canadian Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Clash Live at Shea Stadium Epic/Legacy British Punk, Punk, Dance-Rock, Hard Rock
Crooked Fingers Forfeit/Fortune CAI/Red Pig Indie Rock, Alternative Country-Rock
Crystal Antlers EP Touch & Go Experimental Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
Department of Eagles In Ear Park 4AD Indie Electronic, Post-Rock/Experimental
Front 242 Moments... Alfa Matrix Electro-Industrial, Industrial Dance, Industrial
Ezra Furman & the Harpoons Inside the Human Body Minty Fresh Indie Pop, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Philip Glass Glass Box Nonesuch Contemporary Orchestral, Vocal and Chamber Music
Grails Doomsayer's Holiday Temporary Residence Experimental Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Robin Guthrie 3:19 Bande Originale du Film Darla Original Score, Ambient, Experimental Ambient
Merle Haggard 20 Hits, Vol. 2 Curb Western Swing Revival, Bakersfield Sound, Honky Tonk, Traditional Country, Progressive Country
Matt Hires Live from the Hotel Cafe Ada/Atlantic Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Jolie Holland The Living and the Dead Anti Alternative Folk, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Urban Folk
Hot Lava Lavalogy Bar/None Indie Pop
I Am Ghost Those We Leave Behind Epitaph Post-Hardcore, Punk Revival, Goth Rock
Japanese Motors Japanese Motors Vice Garage Rock Revival, Indie Rock
Julian Koster The Singing Saw at Christmastime Merge Holiday, Christmas
Land of Talk Some Are Lakes Saddle Creek Indie Rock
Suzie Leblanc Messiaen: Chants de Terre et de Ciel Atma Classique Modern Vocal Music
The Little Ones Morning Tide Chop Shop/Atlantic Indie Rock, Indie Pop
Del McCoury The Best of Del McCoury: The Groovegrass Years Condon Bluegrass, Bluegrass-Gospel, Country Gospel
Tim McGraw Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 Curb Contemporary Country, Adult Contemporary, Country-Pop, Neo-Traditionalist Country
Sarah McLachlan Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan Arista Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary, Pop/Rock
Jon McLaughlin OK Now Island Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Pat Metheny & Anna Maria Jopek Upojenie Nonesuch Contemporary Jazz, Jazz-Pop, Vocal Jazz
Juana Molina Un Dia Domino Indie Electronic
Daniel Martin Moore Stray Age Sub Pop Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Folk
Michala Petri Mozart: Flute Quartets [Hybrid SACD] Our Recordings Classical Chamber Music
Charlie Pickett Bar Band Americanus: The Best of Charlie Pickett And... Bloodshot Roots Rock, Bar Band, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Pretenders Break Up the Concrete Shangri-La Pop/Rock, Americana, Singer/Songwriter, Hard Rock
Sun Ra Secrets of the Sun [Bonus Track] Atavistic Avant-Garde Jazz, Avant-Garde, Free Jazz
Red Car Wire Let's Never Get Older Universal Punk-Pop, Emo
Rise Against Appeal to Reason Interscope Punk Revival, Post-Hardcore
Rosebuds Life Like MergeIndie Rock
Neil Sedaka The Mircale of Christmas [Razor & Tie 2 CD] Razor & Tie Holiday, Christmas
Senses Fail Life Is Not a Waiting Room Vagrant Screamo, Emo, Punk-Pop
Brian Setzer Orchestra The Ultimate Christmas Collection Surfdog WEA Retro-Rock, Retro Swing, Rockabilly Revival, Roots Rock
Spinto Band Moonwink Park the Van Indie Rock
Marnie Stern This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It And She Is It And... Kill Rock Stars Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock, Indie Rock
George Strait Classic Christmas MCA Nashville New Traditionalist, Contemporary Country
The Streets Everything Is Borrowed 679 British Rap, Garage Rap/Grime, Club/Dance
Tesla Forever More Tesla Electric Pop-Metal, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Album Rock
Various Artists The First Chapters XL Electronica, Rave, Club/Dance, Techno
Michelle Williams Unexpected Music World/Columbia Urban, Dance-Pop, Adult Contemporary
Women Women Jagjaguwar Noise-Rock, Indie Rock
Wu-Tang Clan Soundtracks from the Shaolin Temple Wanderluxe Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap
Rachael Yamagata Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart Warner Bros. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Elliott Yamin My Kind of Holiday TRP Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B
Yo Majesty Futuristically Speaking: Never Be Afraid Domino Urban, Pop-Rap
New CD Album Releases, 9-30-2008: Ben Folds, Faith Hill, Todd Rundgren, Mary Chapin Carpenter Way to Normal sounds like the most promising new release this week. After the moody introspection of recent albums, this seems more akin to the classic witty bite of old from Ben Folds Five. For example, the first song "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)" is something of an Elton John tribute detailing the story of Ben Folds falling off a stage in Japan. "Bitch Went Nuts" also sounds like a promising title, coming from this guy.
Todd Rundgren has a new album called Arena. It appears to be, as implied by the title, a return to more of a big rock arena sound than in recent albums.
There's a big honkin' new box set of Roy Orbison, The Soul of Rock and Roll. This has 30 odd more songs than the previous Orbison box, including a number of previously unreleased recordings.
There are also several more Christmas albums this week, including yuletide tuneage from Mary Chapin Carpenter, Faith Hill and Melissa Etheridge.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
The Jesus and Mary Chain The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities Blanco Y Negro/Rhino College Rock, Noise Pop, Post-Punk, Alternative Pop/Rock
Mercury Rev Snowflake Midnight V2 Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Roy Orbison The Soul of Rock and Roll Legacy Pop/Rock, Pop, Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Todd Rundgren Arena Hi Fi Album Rock, Arena Rock, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
T.I. Paper Trail Grand Hustle/Atlantic Southern Rap, Gangsta Rap
Robin Thicke Something Else Star Trak/Interscope Urban, Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul
Absentee Victory Shorts Memphis Industries Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Country-Rock
Anberlin New Surrender Universal Republic Indie Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
The Archies The Archies Christmas Party Fuel 2000 Christmas, Teen Pop
Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts Temporary People Lonely Astronaut Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Beaujolais Love at Thirty Parasol Indie Pop
Boduf Songs How Shadows Chase the Balance Kranky British Folk, Post-Rock/Experimental, Indie Electronic
Frannk Caliendo All Over the Place Warner/Reprise Standup Comedy
Mary Chapin Carpenter Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas Zoe Country-Folk, Contemporary Country
New CD Album Releases, 9-23-2008: Kings of Leon, Jackson Browne, David Gilmour, Otis Redding Only by the Night is the fourth album by the Kings of Leon. Broadly, they have become less of the American South and more sonically shooting for a huge U2 sound as they become a big international act.
KOL have produced at least a couple of outstanding songs. I first heard them when "Holy Roller Novacaine" came blaring out of redneck Shane Vendrell's SUV on The Shield in 2004. That song is awesome, and still their best song. Also, on their last album they had one of the best songs of 2007.
Much as I like Caleb Followill's voice and the general sound though, their songwriting is mostly pretty weak. I eagerly anticipated their performance on SNL last week, but there just wasn't anything memorable at all about the underlying compositions. I'm listening to the album now as I write. I like the general sound, but can't remember a thing about any of the specific songs even a minute after hearing them.
Time the Conqueror is the first new album from Jackson Browne in six years. On at least the minimal basis of listening to the Amazon samples of all the songs, I'm not hearing anything even vaguely mistakable for a hook. I generally think of him as a long has-been, but I note that this CD is rated as high as #4 currently at Amazon. He obviously has a substantial loyal fan base, even without significant radio play.
Rhino has updated expanded re-releases of the old Sire albums from The Replacements. I was a music addled college boy in the 80s, so I was certainly the target market for this much-hyped band. I remember these album titles, and I know that I made some effort to listen to them. Thing is that this band just sucked on pretty much every level. I cannot remember even one Replacements song - and that surely ain't from lack of TRYING to like them. They were just not distinctive compositionally, or in instrumental skills or orchestration. Why was it that anybody ever thought this crap was anything?
On a nicer closing note, new Christmas albums are hitting the deck to deck the halls from Spyro Gyra and the Little River Band.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Cold War Kids Loyalty to Loyalty Downtown Indie Rock
Kings of Leon Only by the Night RCA Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Jenny Lewis Acid Tongue Warner Bros. Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Americana, Alternative Country-Rock
Mogwai The Hawk Is Howling Matador Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Plain White T's Big Bad World Hollywood Alternative Pop/Rock, Punk-Pop
Jon Langford/Kat Ex Katjonband Carrot Top Alternative Country-Rock
Lenka Lenka Epic Alternative Pop/Rock, Chamber Pop
Little River Band We Call It Christmas CbuJ Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary
Kenny Loggins How About Now BMG Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Country
Demi Lovato Don't Forget Hollywood Teen Pop, Dance-Pop
McCarthy Trenching Calamity Drenching Team Love Alternative Country-Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Nicola Melville Melville's Dozen Innova Contemporary Piano Music
Michna Magic Monday Ghostly International Left-Field Hip-Hop, Indie Electronic
Bette Midler Jackpot: The Best Bette Rhino Adult Contemporary, Pop/Rock
Monkey Journey to the West XL Experimental Rock, Original Score, Alternative Pop/Rock
Nagisa Ni Te Yosuga Jagjaguwar Indie Pop, Neo-Psychedelia
Graham Nash Songs for Beginners [CD/DVD] Atlantic Folk-Rock, Soft Rock, Country-Rock
John Oates 1000 Miles of Life Doyle Kos DK.E Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary
David Oistrakh David Oistrakh: The Complete Recordings EMI Classics Orchestral & Chamber Music Featuring Violin
Old Crow Medicine Show Tennessee Pusher Nettwerk Neo-Traditional Folk, Jug Band, String Bands, Americana, Contemporary Folk
Original Soundtrack Sex and the City, Vol. 2: More Music New Line Film Music, Soundtracks, Pop/Rock, Urban, Dance-Pop
Lee "Scratch" Perry Scratch Came, Scratch Saw, Scratch Conquered Megawave Contemporary Reggae
Otis Redding Live in London and Paris Stax Deep Soul, Southern Soul, Soul, Memphis Soul
The Replacements All Shook Down [Expanded Edition] Sire/Reprise/Rhino American Underground, College Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll, Singer/Songwriter
The Replacements Don't Tell a Soul [Expanded Edition] Sire/Reprise/Rhino American Underground, College Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Replacements Pleased to Meet Me [Expanded Edition] Sire/Rhino American Underground, College Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
The Tony Rich Project Exist Hidden Beach Contemporary R&B, Urban
Cliff Richard They Said It Wouldn't Last: My 50 Years in Music EMD Int'l Early British Pop/Rock, Teen Idol, Pop/Rock, Pop, Rock & Roll
Max Richter 24 Postcards in Full Colour Fat Cat Electronica, Classical
Randy Rogers Randy Rogers Band Mercury Contemporary Country
New CD Album Releases, 9-16-2008: Nelly, Lindsey Buckingham, George Clinton Brass Knuckles is the first album from Cornell "Nelly" Haynes since the 2004 Sweat and Suit simultaneous releases. He's chock full o' guests here, including Akon, Usher, Pharrell, Chuck D, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri and Ashanti. For someone who was the powerhouse just a couple albums back, this album is only #93 at Amazon.
Gift of Screws is the fifth solo album from Fleetwood Mac mainstay Lindsey Buckingham. This has more of the full-blown studio experimentation and thick sound he's known for compared to the more acoustic oriented previous album. It might also sound a little Fleetwoody in that it features contributions from John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. Note that the first song on the album - "Great Day" - is available for free download from Amazon.
George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love is an all-star album mostly featuring covers of classic r&b love songs. Two tracks are credited to El Debarge, the rest to George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love. Said gangsters include among others Sly Stone, Santana, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Buckcherry Black Butterfly Atlantic/Eleven Seven Hard Rock, American Trad Rock, Post-Grunge, Alternative Metal
Lindsey Buckingham Gift of Screws Reprise Pop/Rock, Album Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Kristy Lee Cook Why Wait Arista/Sony BMG Contemporary Country
Ne-Yo Year of the Gentleman Def Jam Urban, Contemporary R&B
Tindersticks The Hungry Saw Constellation Chamber Pop, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Avenged Sevenfold Live in the LBC and Diamonds in the Rough Warner Bros. Heavy Metal, Alternative Metal, Post-Hardcore, Emo
BG & Chopper City Boyz Life in the Concrete Jungle Chopper City Records/Asylum Dirty South, Southern Rap
Patricia Barber The Cole Porter Mix Blue Note Standards, Contemporary Jazz, Modern Creative
The Pete Best Band Haymans Green Lightyear Pop/Rock
Wayne Brady A Long Time Coming Peak Urban, Adult Contemporary
Marc Broussard Keep Coming Back Atlantic Retro-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Swamp Pop, Funk
Kasey Chambers/Shane Nicholson Rattlin' Bones Essence/Sugar Hill Country-Folk, Alternative Country-Rock
George Clinton George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love Shanachie Funk, Urban
The Cure Hypnagogic States Geffen Alternative Pop/Rock
DJ Khaled We Global Koch Hardcore Rap, Southern Rap, East Coast Rap
Dead Confederate Wrecking Ball Razor & Tie Indie Rock
Dressy Bessy Holler and Stomp Transdreamer Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Punk-Pop
Dub Specialist Dub Heartbeat Dub
Eli Young Band Jet Black & Jealous Universal South Contemporary Country
Elena Cecchi Fedi Or si m'avveggio, oh Amore: Cantatas for Soprano by Nicola Porpora Hyperion Baroque Vocal Music
Renee Fleming Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs Decca Post-Romantic Vocal Music
James Galway O'Reilly Street RCA Contemporary Afro-Cuban Music for Flute and Ensemble
Bill Haley Early Years 1947-1951 JSP Western Swing
I Percussionisti della Scala Percussion Masterpieces Stradivarius Modern & Contemporary Percussion Music
Ice Cube The Essentials Priority/EMI Golden Age, West Coast Rap, Gangsta Rap, Hardcore Rap, G-Funk
Javon Jackson Once Upon a Melody Palmetto Post-Bop
James Hey Ma Decca Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Jem Down to Earth ATO Electronica, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Elton John Greatest Hits [Island] Island Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary, Singer/Songwriter, Rock & Roll
Sergey Koudriakov Schubert: Sonata, Op. 53; Three Piano Pieces [Hybrid SACD] Audite Romantic Piano Music
Dave Koz Greatest Hits Capitol/EMI Smooth Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Jazz-Pop, Adult Contemporary, Instrumental Pop
Laika & the Cosmonauts Cosmopolis Yep Roc Surf Revival
Lisa Loeb Camp Lisa Furious Rose Sing-Along, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Darlene Love So Much Love: A Darlene Love Anthology 1958-1998 Ace Girl Group, R&B
Leona Naess Thirteens Verve Forecast Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Nelly Brass Knuckles Universal Party Rap, Pop-Rap, Urban
Noah and the Whale Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down Mercury Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Colby O'Donis Colby O Geffen Teen Pop, Contemporary R&B, Urban
One Block Radius One Block Radius Mercury Alternative Rap, Pop-Rap
Preservation Hall Jazz Band The Hurricane Sessions Preservation Hall Dixieland Revival, New Orleans Jazz, Dixieland
Raglani Of Sirens Born Kranky Minimalism, Atonal, Ambient
Darius Rucker Learn to Live Capitol/EMI Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Jam Bands
Raphael Saadiq The Way I See It Columbia Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B
Shades of Brown S.O.B. Dusty Groove Chicago Soul, Northern Soul, Soul
Vonda Shepard From the Sun Red Eye Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary
Simian Mobile Disco Fabriclive.41 Fabric 591 Ltd Club/Dance, Techno, Experimental Techno, Electro-Techno
Matt Wertz Under Summer Sun Republic Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
New CD Album Releases, 9-9-2008: Born Again Floozies, Calexico, Jessica Simpson, LL Cool J The Born Again Floozies have their third album release this week, the most excellent Street Music (13 Rebellions and a Song of Consolation). If you're not hip to the Floozies, then you're missing out on one of the best bands, with some of the best songs, and certainly one of the most unique and skillful guitarists going. This was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini.
You might partly think of them in Salvation Army band terms or vaudeville with Amy Gilmore's tap dancing, which is their principle percussion. But for no full-fledged drums or bass, they have a surprisingly funky edge. I credit a lot of that to Charlie Krone on the slide trombone. The Floozies are definitely recommended to fans of the low brass, with Krone and with Melissa Williams on the badass tuba.
Pretty nearly every song is excellent, but I might perhaps most favor "Tough Guy," a character sketch for the composer's obnoxious cheesy Christian neighbor who "bullies the meek with his Jesus talk." Then again "Dumb It Down Now" is one damned catchy rockin' groove. Then again, I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out for "Up the River, F&*^er." [Note that I have bowdlerized the title in the name of Public Morality.
Curiously, they did not put their best recording of the year on the album. Their awesomely tight nine minute arrangement of Sly Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay" has become the #1 centerpiece of their live act, and the best showcase for their under utilized secret weapon, She-of-the-Lungs Nancy Moore. It is available for free download from the band's website. This is so far way my leading candidate for record of the year.
I'm second to none in my Floozie fandom, but I must offer a few words of criticism for the first song on the album, "We Got the Power." Now, this is an excellent song musically. It's damned catchy, and it's got a strong melody, and you can dance to it. It's a memorable tune. But it has a dumbass lyric. From the liner notes, "Our lies bring power down on innocent victims - we gotta bring truth to this power." I'ma have to call bullshit on Brother Joey here. Joey Welch pretty much has "college professor" written all over his face, and this shows him mistaking campus foolishness or Daily Kos sentiments for Deep Thought.
Two levels of criticism. First, it's a poor song lyric on an artistic level. It's just dumb abstract slogans, which wouldn't be good writing even if you agree with them. Compare these meaningless abstractions to the detailed character sketches of the "Tough Guy" or "Fly Your Flag (The Prince of 38th Street)." In the way of a good anti-war type lyric, think of something like Pete Seger famously pulling up the Civil War song about the soldiers "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy."
Also, on the political reality level, this song is just not based on much reality. One example: "We got the shot to quell our own youth." Apparently the echo chamber on campus has Brother Joey thinking something like that The Youth have been rising up against Bushitler's war, but he's been shooting them down and/or shipping them off to Gitmo. I wish. Finally, "We got the lash to break the wildflower" So which enemy is it that we're breaking that's the "wildflower": the Taliban or the Iraqi Ba'athists? End o' rant.
Still, silly politics aside, Street Music (13 Rebellions and a Song of Consolation) is by a big margin the best new album I've heard all year. If you like real songwriting, fancy guitar playing and unique sonic palettes, you need to know the Floozies.
Calexico has a new album this week, Carried to Dust. This band has gotten nowhere near the recognition they should. They have a unique dusty Southwest sound, with lots of drama and Mexican ghosts and such. What I've hear of this album sounds intriguing.
Jessica Simpson has a new album called Do You Know. Not like she really has any substantial performing talent, but I'll give her a couple of sentences if only to have an excuse to throw out some pictures. She may lack talent, but the maker has certainly blessed her on a physical level. By the way, this is supposed to be a "country" album. That apparently means that she conjured up a regular half-assed pop album, and then the producers added a bit of steel guitar and fiddle. Think Shania Twain.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Calexico Carried to Dust Quarterstick Americana, Indie Rock, Alternative Country-Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Gym Class Heroes The Quilt Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance Alternative Rap, Indie Rock
Okkervil River The Stand Ins Jagjaguwar Indie Rock, Indie Pop
Jessica Simpson Do You Know Sony Adult Contemporary, Pop/Rock, Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
AIDS Wolf Cities of Glass Skin Graft Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock
Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez Why Is Bear Billowing? Carpark Free Folk, Indie Pop
Robert Ashley Concrete: An Opera by Robert Ashley Lovely Music Contemporary Opera
Joan Baez Day After Tomorrow Bobolink/Razor & Tie Contemporary Folk, Political Folk
Ramin Bahrami Bach: The Art of Fugue Decca Baroque Keyboard Music
Eric Benet Love & Life Reprise/Friday Contemporary R&B, Urban
Carla Bley & Her Remarkable Big Band Appearing Nightly Watt/ECM Avant-Garde Jazz, Modern Big Band
Bound Stems The Family Afloat Flameshovel Indie Rock
Born Again Floozies Street Music (13 Rebellions and a Song of Consolation) Funk, Pop Underground, Salvation Army, Album Rock, Indie Rock, Alt Rock, Contemporary Folk, Experimental Rock, Adult Alternative, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, New Wave
Randy Brecker Randy in Brasil Mama Post-Bop, Fusion, Crossover Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
The Broken West Now or Heaven Merge Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Pop Underground
Greg Camp Defektor Bar/None New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Don Chambers & GOAT Zebulon Warm Alternative Country-Rock
Natalie Cole Still Unforgettable DMI/Atco Adult Contemporary, American Popular Song
Albert Cummings Feel So Good Blind Pig Blues-Rock, Contemporary Blues, Electric Blues, Modern Electric Blues
Catie Curtis Sweet Life Compass Contemporary Folk
Daughtry Daughtry [Deluxe Version] RCA Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Bart Davenport Palaces Antenna Farm Indie Pop, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Kimya Dawson Alphabutt K Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Children's Folk, Contemporary Folk
Joey DeFrancesco Joey D! Highnote Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Soul-Jazz
Angela Desveaux The Mighty Ship Thrill Jockey Alternative Country-Rock, Country-Folk
The Donkeys Living on the Other Side Dead Oceans American Trad Rock, Indie Rock
Chris Duarte Vantage Point Blues Bureau Blues-Rock, Modern Electric Blues, Modern Electric Texas Blues
The Ettes Look at Life Again Soon [Bonus Track] 2Fer Garage Punk, Garage Rock Revival
Michael Franti & Spearhead All Rebel Rockers Anti Political Rap, Contemporary Reggae, Alternative Rap, Dancehall
Fujiya & Miyagi Lightbulbs Deaf Dumb & Blind Alternative Dance, Indie Rock, Indie Electronic
Gothic Voices The Study of Love Hyperion Medieval Choral Music
Growing All the Way Social Registry Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Mitch Hedberg Do You Believe in Gosh? Comedy Central Standup Comedy, Observational Humor
Horse Feathers House with No Home Kill Rock Stars Contemporary Folk, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock, Americana
I Furiosi Crazy Dorian Renaissance and Baroque Chamber Music
Kardinal Offishall Not 4 Sale Geffen Hardcore Rap, Dancehall
Kellarissa Flamingo Mint Indie Pop, Indie Electronic
Hal Ketchum Father Time Curb Neo-Traditionalist Country, Contemporary Country, Americana
LL Cool J Exit 13 Def Jam East Coast Rap, Hip-Hop, Pop-Rap
Levon Helm
Michelle Shocked 
Rascal Flatts are Unstoppable this week, with their fifth album. They've been running since 1999, so a decade now. They've sold something near to 20 million albums, won every kind of industry award repeatedly, and are generally THE face of modern commercial country music. I can't quite remember any of their songs, but I'm sure they're really good. As THE face of modern country music, I can at least say in defense of Rascal Flatts that they are not the traitorous 
Doves 
Beastie Boys 
Flo Rida 
Looking thin for new releases of interest this week. Martina McBride has Shine, her 352nd album. I can't quite remember any of her songs, but she's sold something like 18 million albums, had 20+ top 10 country hits, a Grammy and a bunch of CMA awards. 
Yanni has Voices, which at least sounds like an interesting experiment. He's always been an instrumental artist. Here he has recruited four young singers (Nathan Pacheco, Ender Thomas, Leslie Mills and Chloe). Then he had them write their own lyrics to melodies of some old and some new compositions. This is on Disney records, and as such is the #1 children's album currently at Amazon, and the #7 album on all the charts.
Coheed and Cambria 
Martina McBride 
Original Soundtrack 
Chris Cornell (born Christopher John Boyle on July 20, 1964) has been a busy beaver in his career as a leader of Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog - besides numerous solo albums and side projects. For all that, I remember one song, "Rusy Cage" and that is because of Johnny Cash singing it. This week, he puts out a joint called Scream. 
Then there is the continuing attack on any decent standards of Geometry and Theology that is made up of every single person who has ever appeared on the damned American Idol show. If you're totally lacking in any interest in music, you might go find their albums. I'd tell you the names of the albums, but I don't care enough to scroll down the page to find them. 
Chris Cornell 
Taylor Hicks 
The personalized hatefulness of this whole record (both political and personal) sounds particularly sour and unappealing compared to the India.Arie record. Now, besides the fact that India is talented and a real songwriter, she's benevolent and nice. The whole tone of the liberal impulses behind stuff like "Better Way" reflect an actual concern with the welfare of the downtrodden, rather than with proud displays of hateful personal or moral superiority to ex-presidents or ex-boyfriends.
Bruce Springsteen
One thing that does sound pretty sweet is the 50th anniversary super deluxe re-issue of Miles Davis Kind of Blue, which may be (and deservedly) the most famous jazz album ever made. I mean, just look at this picture of all the stuff spread out. It's listed as 4 discs, but there seem to be specifically three CDs, one vinyl album and some kind of DVD. There seem to be exactly four new tracks here, and multiple takes to make three discs. Plus of course there's a bunch of books and photos and such. Looks pretty sweet - except for the utterly ridiculous $70 price tag - especially for material that should by any rights long since be absolutely public domain.
Way the best musical thing I would recommend this week is a DVD from Randy Travis, Christmas on the Pecos. It's live footage, and I was particularly impressed with his performance of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." He also performs part of this in the Carlsbad Caverns, which certainly gives him and his choir some resonance. His first song in the cavern is "Rock of Ages." Very nice little Christmas video.
The big new thang this week is from Aliaune Thiam aka Akon, with his new joint Freedom. I was not overly impressed with that ow-ow-ow hit, or as it is known in these quarters, "The Bellyache Song." But this new one doesn't sound half bad. The first song, "Against the Grain" actually sounds like a pretty fair song. I dig "Birthmark" but probably the best song is probably the title song "Freedom." Actually, having listened to it again while writing, I find myself singing "Right Now." That's a pretty good sign.
As much as I among others mock Britney Spears, I figured it only fair that I make a little effort to actually listen to her album before I go on about how bad she sucks. In fairness, the new Circus album isn't that bad. A 46 year old man completely isn't her target market - but even at that, I find this record fairly listenable. I could stand to listen to this around some teenagers without puking, which is better than I might have expected. It trails off after awhile, but at least the first few songs at least sound pretty good while I'm listening to them.
Couple of points of criticism though: For one thing, the whole "circus" theme is boring narcissitic nonsense. Poor Britney being followed by photographers and people writing stories about her. Uh, you're in SHOW BUSINESS. Goes with the territory, don't it? If you REALLY didn't like all that attention, you could quit the business and move to some remote island. Yeah, I didn't think so.
Burl Ives
My beloved sister in law is all about Trace Adkins, so I figured on giving his new X album a listen. Sis is a good ol' gal, but what she sees in this guy escapes me - at least based on this album. They could have put this out with a stock photo image of a cowboy hat on the cover and released it generically as Country Album. Like almost all modern commercial country radio music, this sounds like watetered down and de-racinated 70s Southern rock (generic .38 Special - which was already pretty generic) mixed with dumbed down 70s singer-songwriter ballads of the most wholesome and least interesting kind. I guess he's kind of cute in a Brokeback Mountain kinda way, though.
Seal
Megapuss
Jackson Browne
Grampall Jookabox
Stiff Little Fingers
Toby Keith
The big deal this week is the Wal-Mart exclusive Black Ice, the first new AC/DC album in seven years. I've listened to it now a couple of times, and I'm somewhat less unimpressed than I would have expected. When my high school classmates were losing their minds over Back in Black, I was knee deep in Elvis Costello. Still, that was a classic album, and I wouldn't deny "Highway to Hell" or Dirty Deeds. There were some real actual songs under some of that crunch.
Love Train: The Ultimate Sound of Philadelphia is an AWESOME four CD set with extensive liner notes from the Philly International label. In the 60s and 70s, writer-producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff made their label competitive artistically and commercially even to Motown and the mighty Stax. This right here is about five hours of back to back awesomeness. Plus, hearing these various artists and styles all together creates an extra layer of meaning and cohesion from the also awesome joy of randomly hearing these songs scattered around the radio.
groovy things like a rare side credited to Leon Huff his bad self, "I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin."
AC/DC
Brett Dennen
Sebastien Grainger
Shawn Lee & Clutchy Hopkins
Various Artists
Luniculaire
Lucinda Williams has been rather less commercially succesful, probably largely because she's made something more like real country music. Couldn't play her back to back on the radio with some Shania Twain or Garth Brooks crap, or there'd be riots. She's back this week with Little Honey. Yet as I write this, I find that Chesney's #62 at Amazon - and Miss Lucinda is number frickin' ONE! Yee-haw! She's generally known more for brooding introspection, but her comments, previews and reviews of this album all sound rather happier than usual.
Kenny Chesney
Lucinda Williams
Billy Currington
Ben Folds
Only by the Night is the fourth album by the Kings of Leon. Broadly, they have become less of the American South and more sonically shooting for a huge U2 sound as they become a big international act.
Time the Conqueror is the first new album from Jackson Browne in six years. On at least the minimal basis of listening to the Amazon samples of all the songs, I'm not hearing anything even vaguely mistakable for a hook. I generally think of him as a long has-been, but I note that this CD is rated as high as #4 currently at Amazon. He obviously has a substantial loyal fan base, even without significant radio play.
Kings of Leon
Jackson Browne
The 
