This week’s batch.
Cee Lo – F—- You (Elektra)
It’s absolutely the song of the moment. Soulful, funny, and absolutely profane. It’s catchier since anything short of “I Want You Back,” and it can’t be played by any radio station wishing to maintain its license. Cee Lo/Elektra didn’t make the song available for download purchase for almost a week, marking the single most expensive five days in their collective existence. It would have gone gold during that time.
Sugarman Three – Sugar’s Boogaloo (Daptone)
My latest foray into the Daptone catalog. Haven’t found a dud yet. Must be something in the water there in Brooklyn. Bottle it and send it here, please. This mostly instrumental soul combo is led by saxman Neal Sugarman.
Black Dub – Black Dub (Sony)
I love many albums produced by Daniel Lanois: U2‘s The Unforgettable Fire, Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris, etc. But most of all, I love Lanois’ own music. This is a new Lanois project in collaboration with drummer Brian Blade and singer Trixie Whitley. Whitley carries a lot of the lead vocal, but it doesn’t keep me from enjoying this as a Lanois record. In fact, the more I listen, the more her voice is a perfect match for Lanois’ earthworn tones. She reminds me, just a little bit, of Johnette Napolitano … and that’s high praise in my book.
The Budos Band – III (Daptone)
Still listening. It’s the only album that could have stopped me listening to Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, just for a little bit.
Weird Al – Internet Leaks (Jive)
Copied from my live show review: “Skipper Dan” was sung from the perspective of a failed thespian, doomed to a soul-destroying life of corny jokes as a riverboat guide on Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise attraction. The buzz and stomp of the White Stripes echoed through “CNR,” as Yankovic built the myth of campy Match Game TV icon Charles Nelson Reilly to superhuman proportions, a la Chuck Norris’ impossibly mighty feats. For “Craigslist,” Yankovic donned silky black curls, leather pants and a billowing white shirt to raise the ghost of the Doors’ Jim Morrison.
The Graveblankets – EP (Crooked Mile)
*Chris Arduser*’s songwriting is strewn with knowing winks and personal pratfalls, for which the best consolation would probably be “at least you got a song out of it.” “Bad Decisions” is classic Arduser, a summery pop-waltz full of recrimination, wherein the protagonist is thwarted by his own worst intentions.
Mumble – Happy Living (Marathon)
The Raspberries meet Guided By Voices. Album due in early November. Love it.
Eels – Tomorrow Morning (E Works)
So upbeat and positive, it’s shocking. Near the end of the record, I finally accepted that it wasn’t a setup for a letdown. Nothing but overflowing joy. How weird. I wish E more of the same, but I’m still suspicious. Following End Times … were the pieces of the story told in chronological order?
Squeeze – Spot the Difference (Anchor & Hope)
I hope Anchor & Hope will release an album of new Squeeze material. Difford and Tilbrook, we need the fresh stuff!
Pete Townshend – White City: A Novel (Atco)
Launching with David Gilmour‘s unmistakable guitar on “Give Blood,” the album paints around the edges of a story of “cultural conflict, racial tension and youthful hopes and dreams in the 1960s” (Wikipedia). I wasn’t a huge fan of single “Face the Face,” but overall, I consider this a satisfying, old favorite.
