This week’s listening – a mix of new and old.
The Budos Band – III (Daptone)
This is muscular instrumental soul reminiscent of the time when “The Horse” was a horns-forward hit for Cliff Nobles & Co. III favors the rock side a bit more than the band’s previous releases, but still includes strong influence from Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat and Ethiopian music.
Los Lobos – Tin Can Trust (Shout Factory)
“Jupiter or the Moon” is a goosebump-raising mood piece. “Do the Murray” is a fun and gritty instrumental romp. David Hidalgo should be heralded as one of the great guitarists and voices in blues-based rock. I also love Conrad Lozano‘s bass lines, inspired by James Jamerson.
Best Coast – Crazy for You (Mexican Summer)
28 minutes of reverb-drenched teenage longing. My friend Andre Salles described this as “Neko Case looking for a prom date.”
Daniel Lanois – Belladonna (Anti)
I’ve listened to this album so much, I should list it twice.
Daniel Lanois – Belladonna (Anti)
There, I did it. I never get tired of this instrumental album. It’s very spare and seems so effortless and uncalculated, even though Lanois’ demo releases prove that he cultivated and developed these pieces. Belladonna creates such tremendous atmosphere. It alternates between pure calm and riveting intensity, focused upon Lanois’ pedal steel guitar.
Beastie Boys – The Mix-Up (Capitol)
If you’ve heard the Beasties’ occasional instrumental cuts on their conventional albums or dig Money Mark‘s organ playing, this instrumental album is well worth a shot. It’s a mash-up of 70s style funk/soul/rock; nothing terribly complicated given the limitations of some of the players, but that’s all used to advantage. It’s really very tuneful and catchy. I’ll bet it was pure fun to create.
Squeeze – Spot the Difference (XOXO)
I really wish this was somehow great, but the fact is, it’s too easy to spot the differences in production of these re-recorded songs. I give the band a pass on wanting to be able to profit from the sale of their own songs, but the attempts to recreate their hits on an independently produced CD simply don’t sound as good as the originals. What it does accomplish is to prove that the band are more than capable of performing the songs, and I’ll bet we’d have a blast seeing the reformed Squeeze in concert.
John Coltrane – A Love Supreme (Impulse)
I’m not nearly as well versed in jazz as Big T colleague Steve Holtje, but I’m enjoying digging into some of the classics and finding what suits me. Lots of jazz doesn’t, but his certainly does – powerful and engaging, and full of personality. What a band. If only I could have been in the room to see this group performing together. A Love Supreme was recorded in December 1964, two and a half years before Coltrane’s death at 40. I got turned onto a few Coltrane records by a local indie-rock drummer (Charles Rumback of The Horse’s Ha) who told me how much he loved Elvin Jones.
Bon Jovi – The Circle (Island)
I seriously doubt that Bon jovi has ever been mentioned in the Big Takeover before. May I not be struck by lightning for doing so. I got assigned to review their sold-out show at Soldier Field for the paper. They’re not my bag, but I’ve gotta give credit – they worked hard to connect with 52,000 people, and their crowd loved every single song.
Pink Floyd – tribute show playlist (Captiol)
I’ve still got to learn 85 minutes of Floyd material. Remembering what happens where in longer songs like “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” is going to take some more work.
