Disappears -Lux (Kranky)
Spiritualized and Failure put into a blender with T-Rex and set to mix on the slowest, loudest setting. Hazy and distorted rock n’ roll with lots of unexpected turns. A great Sunday morning record. If they can find a way to break out of that ever present monotone vocal range and the limiting cadence that comes with it, they will be unstoppable. But until then, we’ll have this. Impressive packaging as well.
Bruce Springsteen – The Promise (Columbia)
21 previously unreleased songs from a large set of recording sessions that began before Darkness On The Edge of Town. Some of these abandoned songs are deeper and crisper than the versions that appeared on his 1978 classic. It’s hard to believe that these have been sitting in a vault somewhere until now, considering how dedicated his fans are to tracking down his material. Not to mention how much material they’ve already released on box sets and bootlegs! Impressive to say the least.
Cropsey
Documentary film about the legendary Staten Island escaped mental patient turned child killer. Features a cast of characters and an unbelievable story that you won’t easily forget. Brought to life by filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, a highly dedicated team who spent years researching the case, interviewing the people and putting all the pieces together.
Plastic Anagrams Volume 2 (Caffeineheartache)
Second installment in this series of compilations that features Colorado indie bands covering songs written by Thrifty Astronaut. Volume two features Galaxies, Mother Brother, Otem Rellik, Jolly Old Fellows and The Rewards. As well as an unreleased demo from the man himself, who once again highlights his ability to write a serious bedroom-indie dirge. Available for free “here”: http://thriftyastronaut.bandcamp.com/album/plastic-flower-anagrams-vol-2
Boduf Songs – This Alone Above All Else In Spite Of Everything (Kranky)
Low-fi indie with quiet hushed vocals about solitude and traveling. Hard to quantify but easy to understand. Not quite as focused as 2006’s “Lion Devours The Sun”, but more musically diverse, introspective and sparse than any of his other releases.
Zombie Zombie – Plays John Carpenter 12” (Versatile Records)
Etienne Jaumet and Cosmic Neman are Zombie Zombie, a high powered, rhythm and synth driven outfit that usually write their own horror and thriller soundtracks for movies that don’t exist. On this release, they decided to take on their master with covers of “Assault On Precinct 13”, “Halloween” as well as two songs from Carpenter and Alan Howarth‘s “Escape From New York” and “Escape From LA” scores. The record closes with “The Thing Theme”, originally composed by Carpenter and Ennio Morricone. The level of detail that Zombie Zombie presents is, as always, incredible.
No Values – United We Die 7” (Reaper)
I don’t listen to a lot of new hardcore. Most of it is rote recital of the classics, or variations of shit we’ve all heard a hundred times. But there are still young bands that aren’t interested in merely copying others, and No Values is one of those bands. This four song EP is equal parts Breakdown and Cause For Alarm with thought provoking lyrics and creative instrumental breaks and fills that are technically proficient and original. “Grown and Gone” has some interesting lyrics, although their perception of aging is poisoned by their genre – one that only celebrates the young and seldom remembers the past. Can’t wait to hear more.
Girl Talk – All Day (Illegal Art)
This has been out for a few weeks and I’ve given it a few spins. Definitely better than “Feed The Animals”, which was kind of a misstep in my mind. What proves to me that Greg is back on track is that on this release, ALL of the seams are neatly sewn up and tucked away. And as usual, buried beneath those seams are his ADD inspired mash-ups, and after the first few songs end, it’s pretty clear that he threw everything he had at this record. Available for free here
Darryl Jenifer – In Search of Black Judas (ROIR)
Solo release featuring 16 songs of reggae, dub and hard rock. Great songs, great production and highly imaginative. A lot darker and more brooding than I expected, which makes for an interesting listen.
Come – Car (Sub Pop)
Finally got a copy of this three song single, which was their first release. Feels more like a mini LP. Thalia Zedek’s vocals are pristine and haunting against the backdrop of guitarist Chris Brokaw (Codeine), bassist Sean O’Brien and drummer Arthur Johnson.
