Idlewild – Post Electric Blues (self-released)
On initial listens, Idlewild’s new, self-released album has more in common with 2005’s more mellow (though still quite good) Warnings/Promises and with the quieter parts of 2002’s The Remote Part than with 2007’s more rockin’ Make Another World. While their last album at times felt like an exuberant attempt to prove that they still could rock after the somewhat lukewarm critical and fan reception to Warnings/Promises, this one feels like a natural extension of what they’ve been doing since The Remote Part. Several of the songs here have that feel as well, with “To Be Forgotten” reminding me a bit of The Remote Part‘s “Live in a Hiding Place”. One of the songs reminds me of the ROBYN HITCHCOCK/MICHAEL STIPE collaboration “Dark Green Energy” as singer RODDY WOOMBLE does his best Michael Stipe imitation (something he’s done since their 1st album Hope is Important; see the track “I’m Happy to Be Here Tonight” though usually nowhere near as blatant or noticeable).
Fans who pre-ordered Post Electric Blues get an extra track (“No Wiser”) which is as solid as the rest of this Lp from a quite reliably consistent group.
Arcade Fire – Funeral (Merge)
TIMES NEW VIKING‘s cover of “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” made me curious to listen to this one out for the first time in a while. So much ink (literal and metaphorical) has been spilled on this one that I don’t feel like it’s necessary to expand upon what makes it great, but to my ears it’s one of the finest releases of the decade and an incredible starting point.
Flipper – Fight (MVD Audio)
A companion piece to the almost recently released studio album Love, this live album features songs from two separate shows in 2007 and finds Flipper in as fine form as ever, sludging their way through classics like “Way of the World” and “Ha Ha Ha” and newer dirges like “Be Good, Child!”
Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador)
Although I’ve been listening to this for over a month now, the official release was this past Tuesday.
Anyway, from the opening notes of KIM GORDON‘s “Sacred Trickster”, you know you’re in for a corker. She also sings “Malibu Gas Station”, another one of the album’s finest songs. The highlight for me, though, is “Walkin Blue”, an eight-minute plus riff and melody fest that might be one of their greatest songs ever.
Overall, the feel is highly reminiscent of other recent Sonic Youth records (especially 2004’s Sonic Nurse), though a bit rawer, but otherwise the change from Universal to Matador really isn’t such a big deal because they’ve always done what they wanted. Parts of this album also remind me of their mid to late ’90s period (i.e. Washing Machine and A Thousand Leaves), so don’t expect Daydream Nation or Sister. Still, this is one of 2009’s finest releases so far.
The CD version, like the much more expensive vinyl version, comes with a bonus live Lp taken from their show at Battery Park last July 4th.
Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane and Sugarcane (Hear Music)
Featuring an absolutely gorgeous front cover drawn by the renowned artist TONY MILLIONAIRE, this is a vastly different record from last year’s Momofuku. Instead of a rock and roll record with his band THE IMPOSTERS, this is Costello backed by top-notch bluegrass musicians picked out by producer T-BONE BURNETT (most famous for producing the soundtrack to the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? as well as the ROBERT PLANT/ALISON KRAUSS collaboration Raising Sand but also a fine musician and songwriter in his own right and a past collaborator and producer of Costello’s as well).
As such, it’s no King of America (the 1986 masterpiece which was last Costello album that was as roots-based though 2004’s The Delivery Man had its share of such moments as well), but it’s still a nice listen. The re-recording of “Complicated Shadows” (originally recorded for 1996’s underrated All This Useless Beauty) is particularly compelling.
The Trashcan Sinatras – In the Music (Lo-Five)
What can I say? This is another fabulous record from the greatest Scottish band of the last 20 years (sorry BELLE AND SEBASTIAN and IDLEWILD, though I love both of them, too). I absolutely can’t wait for their show here in August!
Flipper – Love (MVD Audio)
Whoah! Where did this one come from? Their first album since 1993’s American Grafishy is an absolute stomper, every bit the equivalent of MISSION OF BURMA‘s The Obliterati in 2006 or THE EFFIGIES‘ Reside in 2007 in terms of the shock and impact of a classic band not losing a step. In other words, this is sure to be the finest new album of 2009 made by a punk band whose roots go back to the late ’70s and early ’80s. OK, it’s not Generic or Gone Fishin’, but it’s damn close. Singer BRUCE LOOSE and bassist KRIST NOVOSELIC (yes THAT Krist Novoselic; he left the band last year, thus ensuring that their tour was canceled, which is too bad; if only they could get it together and tour behind this phenomenal record) fill in capably for the deceased WILL SHATTER and everything devolves into a blurry, repetitive, psychedelic haze. In fact, this might be the best psych album I’ve heard all year, too, if people’s limited definition of psych wasn’t wrapped up in pastels, paisley, incense, hippies, et al. (not that there’s anything wrong with any of that).
Swervedriver – Juggernaut Rides (EMI)
Reading issue #64’s interview with MAGNETIC MORNING (singer/guitarist ADAM FRANKLIN‘s other band) made me pull this one out. For those who don’t know, it’s a 2-disc comp released in 2005 that serves as a perfect introduction for newbies and a great draw for collectors as well, containing 14 non-album tracks. Even for those who collected the B-sides back in the ’90s, it’s nice to have them all in one place.
The Tomorrow Show with Tom Synder (NBC)
Click here to read BOB MOULD‘s column for Magnet magazine. In it, he links to videos of U2, KISS, JOHN LENNON, THE CLASH, JOHN LYDON and KEITH LEVENE of PiL being interviewed on the iconic late ’70s/early ’80s talk show. This is a good addition to the terrific DVD set that came out a few years ago since most of these interviews weren’t on there!
Elvis Costello and the Attractions – All This Useless Beauty (Warner Brothers/Rhino)
Originally released in 1996 and re-issued by Rhino in a 2-disc version in 2001, this is one of Costello’s most beautiful and underrated records. Produced by GEOFF EMERICK (the man who produced Imperial Bedroom and of course the engineer behind some of THE BEATLES‘ most daring and experimental work), echoes of that 1982 masterpiece appear here. The overall feel, though, is of a Costello/STEVE NIEVE record as his then bassist BRUCE THOMAS and still current drummer PETE THOMAS play less of a prominent role here (ironically, on 1994’s Brutal Youth, they were all over that record, but it was only credited to Elvis Costello alone since NICK LOWE played bass on half of that record). In any case, the songs are top notch.
Especially moving are ballads like the title track, “Why Can’t a Man Stand Alone?” (originally written for SAM MOORE of SAM AND DAVE) and “Poor Fractured Atlas”.
In summary, this is an overlooked classic and possibly the best Costello record of the last 20 years.
