All new stuff as the fall schedule heats up. The first seven items are 8/22 releases.
The first Australian punk band, Radio Birdman formed in 1974, broke up in 1978, and have been revered ever since. A 1996 reunion (with a new rhythm section) immediately yielded a live album, with another following in 2003, but Zeno Beach is the group’s first new studio album in 28 years. To use a sports metaphor, they haven’t lost a step. Their sound is as ferocious and hard-hitting as ever, and Rob Younger remains a great frontman. Aussie punk’s garage-rock roots remains strong here, with organ and/or piano filling out the textures. Of course, the majority of the tracks are powerful old-school punk, but keyboardist Pip Hoyle’s title tune is revved-up surf rock, while his “The Brotherhood of Al Wazah” reveals again the band’s love of Blue Oyster Cult. Fans will be delighted, but even if you missed Radio Birdman’s early work, you can start appreciating their greatness here.
The unique musical and lyrical vision of Mark Linkous reaches exquisite new heights on his first album in five years. Over the course of his career, both his songwriting skills and his imaginative arrangements have been honed to an irresistible keenness. There is not a track of the dozen here that is not utterly luminescent. Touches that used to seem merely eccentric have been focused and now are purely magnetic. As always, the gently cracked vocals radiate intimacy and personality. The mood is two-thirds mellow, one-third rocking. It’s a given that Sparklehorse fans will rejoice and welcome this excellent effort; it should also win Linkous new admirers.
I love it when a local artist makes good, and it’s especially satisfying when my high opinion is shared by a label as venerated as Matador. Brooklyn singer-songwriter Jennifer O’Connor used to garner an obvious comparison to the conversational tone of Liz Phair (minus the provocations), but on her third album O’Connor sounds like no one but herself. The production’s more indie-rock than before on some tracks, which ought to expand her audience, but it’s the assured songwriting (full of telling yet unpretentious, unshowy verbal triumphs), her voice’s open vulnerability wrapped around an inner toughness, and the bittersweet melodies that will hold one’s attention. And, this is the only album released this week with a longer title than Sparklehorse’s.
On this 22-minute EP’s four tracks, Matthew Cooper AKA Eluvium once again walks the line between acoustic and electronic music on a disc of four mesmerizing, quietly thrilling instrumentals. Acoustic piano’s front and center as “I Will Not Forget That I Have Forgotten” starts, recalling 2004’s EP An Accidental Memory in Case of Death, but an electronic appears and ebbs and flows, sometimes pushing the piano back in the mix. “As I Drift Off” gets a bit of a kick from some movie dialogue, but is an aptly titled loop excursion. The murky, slowly pulsing “All the Sails” is part laptop electronica, part Eno-esque soundscape. The title track’s environmental samples also recalls an Eno strategy, from On Land, but its denser structure and ringing tones is more redolent of Ingram Marshall’s Alcatraz. Despite my name checks, Eluvium offers an original and distinctive sound, with just enough grit to avoid being merely soothing background music.
The mastermind of Papa M/Aerial M returns with another gorgeous release, this time offering more sonic variety than on his 2005 self-titled album. The opener, “Who’s That Knocking,” has the lyrical simplicity of an ancient folk song. Like many of the songs here, it’s lyrically dark, though not without a certain black humor. Elsewhere, things get more whimsical, notably with the clinking tuned percussion of “Wrong Turn.” A cover of the mellow classic “Let It Be Me” (a favorite as sung by the Everly Brothers, Betty Everett & Jerry Butler, Glen Campbell & Bobbie Gentry, and many more) offers a welcome dollop of sweetness and light.
Nouvelle Vague is one of the most charming and fun concept bands out there: bossa nova covers of punk and new wave songs. Can they pull it off a second time? Yes! Even overplayed fare such as “Dancing with Myself” sounds fresh and fun after this French production team and its stable of chanteuses work their magic. The bossa concept is loosened this time out and there are a few more styles touched on (film music, Broadway musicals, ska, reggae), but the band’s laid-back, loungey identity still dominates. Not all the tracks are so familiar; some are downright obscure – these guys know and love this music (as their booklet notes to each song show). Some people will be horrified by these rearrangements, but they need to get in touch with their inner Brazilian – or their sense of humor. That said, there’s an underlying seriousness to this project that raises it above the level of novelty to real musical imagination. As good as their debut? No, but still a success.
Maupin first came to the attention of most jazz lovers with his distinctively colored bass clarinet contributions to Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew, then continued to impress as an integral member of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band. Sadly, he has not been given many opportunities to record as a leader; this is just his fifth album (they’re spaced 1974, 1976, 1978, 1998, 2006), though he’s had plenty of sideman work. Under those circumstances, every release is to be cherished, but even if he made an album every year this would stand out. His darkly glinting bass clarinent timbre, as distinctive as ever, alternates with his equal expertise on tenor and soprano saxophones and flute. Maupin’s always imaginative playing is set in a variety of styles and instrumentations, though modality dominates. Occasionally the arrangements are dense and funky; often they are spare (including two solo tracks and a flute/bass duo) and seem freely improvised. It’s not easy listening, not because it’s harsh but because it’s profound and subtle.
Smither is one of my favorite folkies, and his latest album further cements his status as one of the most consistently brilliant singer-songwriters around. As usual, there are a few excellent covers, this time a ruminative version of Bob Dylan’s “Visions of Johanna” and a spirited take on Lightnin’ Hopkins’s”Blues in the Bottle” that’s doubly significant: Hopkins was a major influence on Smither’s guitar style, and Smither went through a lengthy battle with alcoholism. But as always, it’s Smither’s tangy originals that shine brightest. There’s his sharp humor; “Origin of Species” offers a biting look at creationism/intelligent design, and “Diplomacy” takes on both Bush and our political system in general with such pungent observations as “We got some freedom, we got the iPod store/We got the Savior, you couldn’t ask for more/Take it or leave it, it’s the deal of the day/And if you leave it, you get it anyway.” But there are also the moving, sometimes even harrowing personal meditations, such as the title track and “Shillin’ for the Blues.” Anybody who knows Smither’s work can be assured that this more than matches his high standards; anybody unfamiliar with him can confidently start here.
“One rhythm” albums are now more popular than ever. This two-CD set is ace label Blood and Fire’s second, put together by the Rhythm & Sound team, using the Lee Perry-produced Congos track “Fisherman” (presented in its original vocal track opening disc one; with the dub version closing disc two). Unlike most such efforts, the label actually commissioned all the new versions. With one exception, the layout is veterans (Big Youth, Dillinger, U Roy, Prince Jazzbo, Max Romeo, Tony Tuff, Sugar Minott, Horace Andy, Mykal Rose [Black Uhuru], saxophonist Dean Fraser doing an instrumental variation, and Freddie McGregor) on disc one, relative newcomers (Luciano, Lutan Fyah, Al Pancho, Country Culture, Mr. Raggamonica doing a melodica instrumental, Paul St. Hilaire AKA Tikiman, Ricky Chaplin, Lucan I, MacLaw, Early One) on disc two, with the exception being Gregory Isaacs (who sang backing vocals on the original album, Heart of the Congos, back in 1977) on disc two. Yes, two dozen tracks with the same rhythm is inherently repetitive, but one disc at a time is actually quite a satisfying listen.
