New Stuff Worth Hearing

[Josh]

Stuff from January and some upcoming from February that deserves to be heard:

Souljazz Orchestra - Rising Sun (Spiritual jazz via soweto, funk, Miles Davis' modalism-- seriously groovy and beautiful music)

Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here (Personal stuff from the godfather of rap, coming soon on the XL label)

Jaga Jazzist - One Armed Bandit (Playful and sophisticated prog/jazz)

Allison Moorer - Crows (Classicist break-up record that still surprises due to stellar songs and production-- probably my favorite thing in 2010 so far)

Patty Griffin - Downtown Church (Superb gospel recording)

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (Best songs Beck has written since Sea Change, best Gainsbourg album yet)

Galactic - Ya-Ka May (New Orleans funk from the ANTI- label)

Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back (Orchestral covers album, no drums or guitar, so much better than what I was expecting)

Sp00n and Vampire Weekend (No need to comment further except to say that these two bands are kicking off the year in indie rock smashingly)

[bloop]

I just checked out Jaga Jazzist yesterday.  Color me impressed.

Have you heard the new Yeasayer?

[TheWanderer]

Peter Gabriel's 2nd album of the year "I'll Scratch Yours" should be great.  It's him with a bunch of other artists.  2cd concept but split it into the one Josh mentioned and the one I just said.

[Ian]

Thanks for the list Josh, I'll check some of those out.  I would have to add:

These New Puritans - Hidden
Beach House - Teen Dream
Yeasayer - Odd Blood
The Besnard Lakes - Are the Roaring Night
Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
Ben Frost - By the Throat

I just checked out Jaga Jazzist yesterday.  Color me impressed.

Yeah, this band is really good.  I'm glad you guys are listening to this.


oh, and someone needs to sticky that music journal thread

[Josh]

Some more suggestions:

Jose James - Blackmagic (Seductive, late-night grooves-- jazz on hip-hop steroids)

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Genuine Negro Jig (The first significant bluegrass/roots album of the new decade; Joe Henry produces)

Owen Pallett - Heartland (The album Andrew Bird could've made after Mysterious Production-- less pop, more classical in structure)

Broken Bells - Broken Bells (James Mercer and Danger Mouse collaboration)

Kath Bloom - Thin Thin Line (Ragged, naked folk music; Pitchfork reviewed this one today and gave it a surprisingly high 8.0)

Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu Moves Ahead (New one from the father of Ethio-jazz. Smooth, groovy, really beautiful)

And though I've mentioned them before, I'm still really excited about Gil Scott-Heron and Peter Gabriel.

[Ian]

these have been great the last couple days:

Nest - Retold (Ambient, Modern Classical)
Balmorhea - Constellations (not sure what this is, but the arrangements are very beautiful))

[Josh]

Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me (Never been a fan before, but this one's got me in a BIG way. It's the most significant release of the year so far, hands down)

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat the Devil's Tattoo (Campy fusion of their noise-rock origins with their later forays into Americana)

Jamie Cullum - The Pursuit (Pop songs for jazz trio-- not sure if it's his best, but it's his boldest)

Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Reform School Girl (50s rock funneled through the snarling attitude of punk rock. Campy, deliciously nasty, tons of fun)

Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago (Picking up the thread of Talk Talk for their most beautiful album yet)

Roky Erickson - True Love Cast Out All Evil (Weird, vaguely psychedelic, country-flavored rock from a real survivor)

She & Him - Volume 2 (Sounds like it could be the new Camera Obscura album. Swoon-worthy pop, better than their debut)

Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks (Bigger, a little more polished, still a helluva rock band)

[Ian]

Gorillaz gets my first 9 of the year

[Ian]

Gorillaz gets my first 9 of the year

and just like that, Tallest Man on Earth gets my second :O

[bloop]

I haven't found the new Gorillaz yet.  I must not be combing the right places.

I just caught up with TMoE today, and I fully expect it to be great.  There was something about him the first time around that I just knew he was something special, not the kind to give me a great freshman album and disappear.

[ewok20t3]

I haven't found the new Gorillaz yet.  I must not be combing the right places.

You can listen to it at http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/mar/01/gorillaz-plastic-beach .

[bloop]

Thanks!  I've been looking forward to hearing this.  The Gorillaz could provide some much-needed bounce in my current musical diet.

[Josh]

The Tallest Man record is excellent-- even better than his debut, no easy feat. Gorillaz is... well, it's something, not sure what yet. But the BEST album I've heard ALL YEAR is...

So Runs the World Away, by Josh Ritter. Heard it today for the first time. Love at first listen. You're all going to be astonished.

[murlough23]

So Runs the World Away, by Josh Ritter. Heard it today for the first time. Love at first listen. You're all going to be astonished.

Is the leakage available on the Internet, or do you just have the right moves?

[Josh]

Is the leakage available on the Internet, or do you just have the right moves?

I'm reviewing it for CT, so I got a copy from the publicist. They're being VERY protective of this one, but of course it'll still leak well before the May release date, I'm sure. :-)

[murlough23]

I'm reviewing it for CT, so I got a copy from the publicist. They're being VERY protective of this one, but of course it'll still leak well before the May release date, I'm sure. :-)

I'm sure I'll find it in due time.

[Ian]

Ritter comes out on vinyl for record store day on April 17th... my b-day :D

[ewok20t3]

I wasn't quite sure where to post this and I didn't feel it would generate much of a response so I didn't want to start a new topic, but I was just curious if anyone has heard the new High On Fire album called Snakes For The Divine? If so, what do you think?

[Ian]

It was good but nothing overwhelming.  I far prefer Shining - Blackjazz where metal is concerned.

[ewok20t3]

It was good but nothing overwhelming.  I far prefer Shining - Blackjazz where metal is concerned.

Okay thanks, I won't be in too big of a rush to check it out in that case. I may need to give that Shining album a listen.


Here's something new that I think is worth a listen. It's The Frozen Ocean's self-titled debut. You can download it free and legally at http://comeandlive.com/downloads. It's got that whole post-rock meets worship thing going on that's so popular these days, but it's much more experimental and adventurous than most. If "Swan Song" didn't totally screw up the flow of the album, this would probably be a solid A album for me, but I'm leaning towards an A- because of one friggin song that shouldn't be on the album. The Frozen Ocean throw in some Sufjan sounding banjo on a track or two. There's some parts reminiscent of As Cities Burn's Come Now Sleep album. There's a stripped down and raw David Bazan type vibe on some tracks. It feels like a mix of a bunch of my favorite kinds of music, but I think that's also the downfall. At times it seems like he's trying too hard or something, but the potential here is through the roof. I think most of you would enjoy most of this album.

[Ian]

Josh, I think you would enjoy the new Brasstronaut quite a bit.  I am certainly loving it right now

[Josh]

What a superb year this has been so far! Good stuff from all across the board:

Anais Mitchell - Hadestown (A "folk opera" that reimagines the myth of Orpheus amid a post-apocalyptic American depression. Featured singers include Ani, Greg Brown, and the guy from Bon Iver. Honestly, this is probably my favorite album of the year so far)

Patty Larkin - 25 (New recordings of her classic love songs, with an astonishing cast of guest singers-- beautiful folk album)

Brad Mehldau - Highway Rider (His most sophisticated and visionary work yet-- jazz meets classical with hints of pop)

Mary Gauthier - The Foundling (Tells her story of being abandoned, then adopted; dips into New Orleans folk and blues)

Mose Allison - The Way of the World (Joe Henry produces the sharp, funny new set from the 82-year-old master)

Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu Steps Ahead (Blissful nocturnal grooves from the Ethio-jazz pioneer)

[Josh]

All killer, no filler:

Peter Wolf - Midnight Souvenirs (Dynamite record from a rock and roll dinosaur who still delivers in spades, and whose definition of rock and roll encompasses country and blues as well)

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah 2 (I was initially disappointed that she didn't try to top the first one, but then, how COULD she? That album is untouchable; this one, a whole lot of fun)

Roky Erickson - True Love Cast Out All Evil (A psych-rock exorcism of the man's inner demons)

Elizabeth Shepherd - Heavy Falls the Night (Soulful piano jazz that flirts with funk and folk-- Norah Jones hasn't made anything nearly this good)

Anais Mitchell - Hadestown (Still the most thrilling thing I've heard this year-- don't let it slip through the cracks!)

[ewok20t3]

Has anyone heard the new Dillinger Escape Plan album, Option Paralysis? I'm trying to decide whether to go ahead and buy it or not.

[Josh]

The Hold Steady's new album is streaming this week at NPR-- but I have to warn you: It isn't very good. In fact, I've rarely been so thoroughly disappointed by a band that I really love.

[Josh]

This stuff is all squarely in the MUST-HEAR realm; 2010 is proving to be EPIC, at least from where I'm sitting:

Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation (It's a shame the indie crowd is going to ignore this, because it's so much more inventive and full of life than most of what's coming out of indie-dom these days. The British rock rags are all giving this one five-star raves, and it deserves it. It crackles with energy and raging, passionate creativity.)

Robert Randolph - We Walk This Road (SMOKIN'. Gospel fervor meets rock and roll energy and pure funk. Dynamite stuff.)

Blitzen Trapper - Destroying the Void (their best yet-- these guys remake classic rock and Americana in their own image. This is the kind of album Wilco should be making)

Jamie Lidell - Compass (Bizarro funk monster. Best Prince album in 20 years.)

Black Keys - Brothers (Less about blues and garage rock, more about lean, muscular R&B. Really fun.)

Elizabeth Shepherd - Heavy Falls the Night (A tremendously sophisticated pianist, composer, and singer. Miles ahead of anything Norah Jones has ever done-- at once more closely rooted to jazz and more out-there in its pop tendencies)

[murlough23]

Robert Randolph - We Walk This Road (SMOKIN'. Gospel fervor meets rock and roll energy and pure funk. Dynamite stuff.)

About time! Is this better than Colorblind? That was a solid performance, musically, but the lyrics were kinda dumb.

[Josh]

Well, these songs are all covers, I believe-- a lotta old gospel songs plus songs by Dylan, Lennon, and Prince. So, the songwriting is definitely not something to worry about!

[murlough23]

Well, these songs are all covers, I believe-- a lotta old gospel songs plus songs by Dylan, Lennon, and Prince. So, the songwriting is definitely not something to worry about!

None of those things are guaranteed wins for me in the songwriting department, but all will probably still beat Randolph's lyrical skills. Songwriting is a secondary concern for these guys, anyway.

I wish I knew more about Seinfeld. I was thinking someone should write a Randolph parody called "Not That There's Anything Wrong with That".

[Ian]

I have to warn against that Blitzen Trapper.  Not much good at all.  However Josh severely undersold the Black Keys album, it is amazing.

National is great of course.

[Josh]

Hmmm... I've heard from many friends who love the Blitzen, and a couple who hate it. I can understand why it's provoking such a range of opinions, but I think it boils down to a matter of taste; objectively, I haven't come across any arguments as to why it's anything less than technically impressive.

On the other hand, I'll grant you, Ian, that I probably did undersell the Keys album. It took me a couple of spins to get into it, as I'm a long-time Keys fan and this one is something of a departure for them, but I'm becoming more and more impressed with it. (I probably still prefer Rubber Factory at this point, but...)

[murlough23]

What I liked about the last Blitzen Trapper (which was my first taste of them): The song "Furr", the blend of folksy instruments and electronic elements, some pretty acoustic moments like "Lady on the Water".

What I didn't like: I could take or leave the vocals on a lot of tracks. The straight-up rockers didn't do too much for me. "Black River Killer" was disturbing, and "Love U" just irritated the crap out of me.

Will I like the new one?

[murlough23]

This is probably a joke, but Jon Foreman, Brooke Fraser, and some other dude brainstormed about a collaboration on twitter.  Kiwisurfbeard

That actually wouldn't surprise me too much, after the CompassionArt summit from a year or so ago. I don't know that it would necessarily be all that good, but I could see these folks coming up with material together, especially due to the devotional nature of some of Foreman's solo stuff.

NP: "Ordinary", Barenaked Ladies

[bloop]

Will I like the new one?

Very hard to say.  Maybe?

(only one way to find out)

[murlough23]

Very hard to say.  Maybe?

(only one way to find out)

I guess I was trying to ask, "Would you recommend it to someone who got into the band for these reasons?" But yeah, I'll just put it on my "Need to Hear It" pile. Can't hurt to try.