Jose Gonzalez Veneer (Parasol)
Although this beautiful album was released several years ago in his native Sweden, he’s gotten a lot of attention recently (especially in the UK, where this album is a bonafide hit) partially due to the use of his cover of The Knife’s “Heartbeats” in a stunning Sony commercial. Regardless, this is stunning, beautiful, sparse psychedelic folk music not too dissimilar to Nick Drake or Elliott Smith’s earlier offerings. Fans of both should be delighted.
Saint Etienne – Tales from Turnpike House (EMI)
I’ve been listening to the far superior UK version of this terrific album lately. The limited edition version comes with a bonus disc of 6 songs supposedly targeted at the children of their adult fanbase. Boy do I feel old now!
Sparks – Hello Young Lovers (In the Red)
This picks up where their last album, the excellent but inconsistent Lil’ Beethoven, left off. Quasi-classical motifs? Check. Humurous, cheeky lyrics making serious points? Check. A song called “Dick Around”? Check. This is pure Sparks, though the main difference between this album and their last one is that it maintains a level of consistency that Lil’ Beethoven lacked, though its peaks aren’t quite as high.
Stereolab – Fab Four Suture (Too Pure)
And the hits just keep on coming. 2 years after the release of Margerine Eclipse, Stereolab are back with a collection of 6 tracks pulled from 3 limited edition 7” singles released since then as well as 6 new tracks that sound not too unlike their previous album. A more “proper” follow-up to Margerine Eclipse is scheduled for next year.
The Go-Betweens – That Striped Sunlight Sound (Yep Roc)
This is an absolute must for fans of The Go-Betweens. It consists of a DVD featuring a concert from the Tivoli Theatre in Brisbane last August along with an “Acoustic Stories” segment where principles Robert Forster and Grant McLennan play some songs spanning their career acoustically in a living room and talk about their genesis and history throughout the performance. In addition, ther’es also a CD which is the audio portion of the Brisbane concert. Both are excellent and the version of “Karen” on here is one of the best live recordings I’ve ever heard in my life. Watching it on DVD is especially recommended as you get to see Robert building the song up much in the same way as Patti Smith’s “Gloria”, which is what the song hinted at but never quite achieved until now.
Belle and Sebastian – The Life Pursuit (Matador)
After having the advance for several months, I picked up the limited version with the DVD and it’s well worth it. The packaging is simply stunning as the 2 discs are laid out in the shape of a book whose text consists mainly of fan letters to the band and their responses.
X – House of Blues (West Hollywood, CA) – Thursday February 16, 2006
Even more explosive and energetic than the show I saw in Philly several months ago on DJ Bonebrake’s birthday, there’s absolutely nothing like seeing this great band in front of a hometown crowd. Once again playing only their best material (from the 1st 4 Lps), they played a longer set this time with 2 encores and the stunning “It’s Who You Know” being added to the setlist.
The Gun Club – Lucky Jim (Triple X)
Their last album from 1993 is also one of their very best and most underrated as well. Since long-time guitarist Kid Congo Powers had left the band, it became a showcase for Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s considerable talent as a lead guitar player. Quite simply, songs like “Idiot Waltz” have some of the most stunning and expressive blues-oriented playing that I’ve ever heard. Tragically, Pierce died 3 years later and never got to follow this record up, but listening to it now, it feels like a sad, fitting farewell. There’s also a double disc version that came out in the Netherlands recently, but I haven’t heard it yet.
Amoeba Records
I’m typing this from an internet cafe in Silverlake since I’m in Los Angeles now until Monday. The Hollywood store is even larger than the San Francisco one that I was in 2 years ago. Although the prices for used CDs (not counting the clearance bin) are a bit on the high side for most discs, the selection is absolutely staggering and for that alone, I recommend stopping by here when you’re in the area. It also doesn’t hurt that the staff is friendly and knowledgeable.
The Long Blondes “Once and Never Again”
This excellent new band from Sheffield reminds me of 1st album Pretenders, Blondie and Elastica. Of the songs I’ve heard, I think that this is the best one. I really hope that they come to the US again. Check out their 1st 3 singles as well, including the most recent one “Appropriation (By Any Other Means)”. Here’s a link to their MySpace page:
THE LONG BLONDES
