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Cassandra Wilson – thunderbird (Blue Note)
This is less of a jazz record than some weird roots/electro mix. Well, I exaggerate a bit with the electro part, but jazz purists will be aghast at the drum loops on some tracks. It’s like she’s roughened up the acoustic, blues/roots vein she began mining in 1993 on Blue Light Til Dawn and combined it with the modernist impulses (not the sound) of her 1980s JMT albums, but with more up-to-date beats. This won’t crash the clubs, mind you, but sometimes it’s more rhythmically assertive than she’s been in years. Elsewhere, it’s as intimate as anything she’s ever done, as on a hushed, downright sexy cover of “Red River Valley.” In context, the most daring release of the past week.
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Pretty Girls Make Graves – Elan Vital (Matador)
At first, I was disappointed by this April 11 release. Having added keyboardist Leona Marrs (who even plays accordion), the group has toned down the aggression of 2003’s brilliant The New Romance in favor of greater timbral variety and a leaner, less booming, more penetrating sound. The guitars only dominate some of the songs, and Andrea Zollo’s vocals are more upfront. Whether fans prefer this or their old sound is a matter of taste, of course, but either way this remains a compelling group powered by Zollo’s distinctive voice and hard-hitting songwriting.
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Howe Gelb/’Sno Angel: Like You (Thrill Jockey)
The longtime frontman of Giant Sand has had many side projects over the years. ‘Sno Angel may be his most ambitious yet: he records and tours with a gospel choir, Voices of Praise. Don’t worry, he’s not preaching, unless it’s the gospel of American Roots Music. There’s dirty guitar on here that could’ve come off a Junior Kimbrough album, and drums from The Arcade Fire’s Jeremy Gara. Besides new material, Gelb has remade three old Giant Sand numbers and covered three songs by country songwriting legend Rainer Ptacek. But for all that, this is still easily identifiable as a Howe Gelb album – one of his best, in fact.
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Various Artists – Big Apple Rappin’ (Soul Jazz)
Subtitled “The Early Days of Hip-Hop in New York City 1979-1982,” this two-CD (or four-LP) set captures as much as possible the birth of the genre. These were the days when the music was taken straight from disco and funk hits, while the rhymes are largely fresh and bright, innocent fun rather than dark commentary or confrontational aggression. The better-known artists here are Spoonie Gee, Xanadu (the influential “Sure Shot”), and Cold Crush Brothers, but as usual with Soul Jazz compilations, what makes this great is its depth, with a wealth of more obscure tracks.
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Centro-Matic – Fort Recovery (Misra)
The more I listen to this, the more I like it! Will Johnson’s band celebrates a decade with a superb new album mixing bittersweet down-home ballads that’ll put a tear in your beer (even if you can’t quite figure out the surreal lyrics) with crunching electric rockers that Crazy Horse would be proud of. The rock extremism of the past has been mixed with the feeling of Johnson’s other project, South San Gabriel, for a more varied program that will appeal to Uncle Tupelo/Wilco fans.
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Lanterna – Desert Ocean (Jemez Mountain/Badman)
The twangiest indie-rock instrumental band out there has made another mellow masterpiece. The darkly melodious music of guitarist/leader Henry Frayne (ex-Moon Seven Times, ex-Area), augmented by the restrained drumming of Eric Gebow, conveys a sense of travelling along lonely Midwestern highways, though the venue seems more like outer space on the closing “Messina” thanks to some Pink Floyd-like bass and lead guitar. If you like your chillout music more organic than electronic, this one’s for you.
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Film School – Film School (Beggars Banquet)
Still firmly entrenched among my favorite albums of the moment, this wonderfully textured music takes me back to the early 1990s, when (mostly English) bands such as Swervedriver, Slowdive, and Kitchens of Distinction erected brooding, monumental mid-tempo song-sculptures built from multi-layered, effects-drenched guitars chiming, droning, spattering, and most of all soaring. And, in fact, when I play this disc at Sound Fix, customers often assume the band’s English.
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Mudhoney – Under a Billion Suns (Sub Pop)
Seattle’s longest-lasting grunge heroes have tweaked their formula with excellent results. Singer/guitarist Mark Arm’s lyrics now sometimes deal with socio-political topics: the opening “Where Is the Future” questions the idea of progress, “Empty Shells” criticizes the increasing vapidness of our consumer culture, “It Is Us” refuses to let anyone off the hook for our problems, and “Hard-On for War” takes on a timeless topic with rude humor. Arm’s talent for turning a catchy phrase yields such gems as “Like radiation, love lingers on / long after the damage is done” (“I Saw the Light”). And musically, this is arguably as good as Mudhoney’s ever been, with horn arrangements (presumably influenced by Arm’s time touring with MC5 adding welcome variety.
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Prince – 1999 (Warner Bros.)
Originally a two-LP set, this 1982 album turned Prince from a critic’s darling to a mainstream star with the Top 10 singles “Little Red Corvette” and “Delirious.” Its sheer variety is impressive: the hardcore funk of “Lady Cab Driver,” multiple dance tracks (much-imitated over the next few years), the moody “Something in the Water (Does Not Compute),” and the anthemic “Free.” It still stands as one of the greatest albums of its decade.
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Earth Wind & Fire – Gratitude (Columbia)
The smoothest funk band played songs, not just grooves. Anchored by blues/soul drummer Maurice White, it soared on Philip Bailey’s angelic falsetto. “Reasons” is pure heartbreak.
