By Dolph Chaney
Writer, SNSPost
In this series, I look at the slate of new releases for the week and point out some of the highlights. Then, I take a look back at music released on this date in past years, to see what commonalities might be found from music old and new.
British trio Band Of Skulls have brought out a big riff rock album with tinges of goth atmosphere and surprising songwriting — none more so than the completely stunning acoustic “Hometowns.” Excerpts of Sweet Sour are streaming below.
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Cheap Girls (shame about the name) offer solid old-school punk that is straight-forward, brash without being too hyper, catchy and yet gritty. As much as any of the more famous strains of punk, Giant Orange recalls The Saints, Australia’s first important punk band, whose debut (I’m) Stranded arrived on this date in 1977.
- Cheap Girls, Giant Orange – album stream at Spinner / AOL
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Nowadays, Blood, Sweat & Tears are remembered only for their two hit singles, “Spinning Wheel” and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” from their 2nd album in 1968. Those two songs bookend In Concert, which was recorded live in 1975 and gets a reissue today. But before singer David Clayton-Thomas was its voice and the band was in direct competition for the brass-rock brass ring with Chicago (both being managed by James William Guercio), BS&T released one album under the leadership of Al Kooper (famed session guitarist/keyboardist, most widely heard for playing organ on Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone”). That album, Child Is Father to the Man, was released exactly 44 years ago today. Under Kooper, the sound was even more expansive, incorporating not only brass but also strings, yet in a challenging and unschmaltzy way. The one song from Child that appears on In Concert is Kooper’s 12/8 blues “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know,” illustrating most plainly the differences between versions of the band. Undoubtedly, Clayton-Thomas has the finer voice and wider range, but his stage presence and corny asides scream “lounge lizard” in a way that Kooper’s more earnest and less controlled singing never would. The original also benefits from the fiery lead guitar of Steve Katz, previously Kooper’s bandmate in the Blues Project, while In Concert boasts hired-gun jazz players like Steve Kahn and Mike Stern to fill his shoes. The original band deserves a much wider hearing.
- Bonobo, Black Sands Remixed (CD / 3xLP) (Ninja Tune)
- Matthew Bourne, Montauk Variations (Leaf)
- Experimental solo piano (with occasional strings), mostly on the ambient side but at times recalling the furious playing of Cecil Taylor and John Zorn (the latter of whom gets a dedication of “Étude Psychotique”).
- Bright Moments, Natives
- album stream at Spinner / AOL - Peter Broderick, It Starts Hear (Hush Records)
- The album-as-website platform and its intro video makes Broderick’s album seem much more gimmicky than it turns out to be. From the pure loveliness of “I Am Piano” forward, it’s a thoughtful and charming small-scale beaut. - Busdriver, Beaus$eros (Fake Four Inc.)
- Big hip-hop informed pop with more smarts to it than the style might initially indicate.
- The Chieftains, Voice of Ages (CD/DVD) (Hear Music/Concord)
- The only non-rock Irish band most Grammy voters have ever heard of celebrates its 50th anniversary. Co-produced by T Bone Burnett and head Chieftain Paddy Moloney, the album includes an impressive group of guests: Bon Iver, The Decemberists, Lisa Hannigan, The Low Anthem, Civil Wars, Pistol Annies, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers, Imelda May, and more. - John Wesley Coleman, Last Donkey Show (Goner)
- Eric Copeland, Car Alarm (7″) (Post Present Medium)
- Cursive, I Am Gemini (Saddle Creek)
- Recalling post-grunge ’90s alt-punk like Jawbox, Chavez, and Shudder To Think, Cursive delivers a concept album that never bores, thanks to the impassioned singing and writing of Tim Kasher and the band’s rhythmic twists and effective motifs. (album stream at Rolling Stone) - Speech Debelle, Freedom of Speech (Big Dada)
- “I’m With It” – [mp3] from Rolling Stone - Earn, A Following Shadow (Post Present Medium)
- English Singles, Grey Skies USA (Slumberland)
- Galactic, Carnivale Electricos (ANTI-/Epitaph)
- Here’s your Fat Tuesday bon temps indulgence. (guests: Cyril and Ivan Neville, Mystikal, Mannie Fresh, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Moyseis Marques, etc.)
- Ital, Hive Mind (Planet Mu)
- Jonquil, Point of Go (MP3 Download) (first single: “It’s My Part”) (Dovecote)
- album stream at Paste - Damien Jurado, Maraqopa (Secretly Canadian)
- “Museum of Flight” [mp3] - Angelique Kidjo, Spirit Rising (Razor & Tie)
- Kevn Kinney & The Golden Palominos, A Good Country Mile (Almost Loaded)
- album stream at Spinner / AOL - Lambchop, Mr. M (Merge)
- (dedicated to Vic Chesnutt) album stream at NPR
- My Best Fiend, In Ghostlike Fading (Warp)
- Sinéad O’Connor, How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? (One Little Indian)
- After all the Twittery tumult of the past few months, we are graced with the return of O’Connor’s voice, (album stream at NPR) - People of the North, Steep Formations (Jagajaguwar)
- Perfume Genius, Put Your Back N 2 It (Matador)
- Possibly the week’s most beautiful indie album.
- Pontiak, Echo Ono (Thrill Jockey)
- Sara Radle, Same Sun Shines (S/R)
- album stream at AOL; “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys (Willie Nelson cover) (with Mary Lou Lord)” – [mp3] - Fionn Regan, 100 Acres of Sycamore (Heavenly Recordings/Cooperative Music/Downtown)
- “100 Acres of Sycamore” [mp3 download or stream] - Josh Ritter, Bringing In The Darlings (Pytheas Recordings)
- An all-new 6-song EP, recorded and mixed in a tiny studio in Brooklyn, NY over four days this winter, mostly without his Royal City Band. (CD / 10” vinyl / MP3) (stream the opening track, “Why,” at Paste) - Frankie Rose, Interstellar (Slumberland)
- Sleigh Bells, Reign of Terror (producer: guitarist Derek E. Miller) (Mom + Pop/N.E.E.T. Recordings)
- The indie duo brings more of a rock-guitar edge and more searching lyrics to the blend that brought their debut Treats much acclaim. (album stream and article at The New York Times)
- Terry Malts, Killing Time (Slumberland)
Terry Malts – Killing Time Sampler by Slumberland Records - Tindersticks, The Something Rain (Constellation)
- Jim White, Where It Hits You (Yep Roc Records)
- album stream at Spinner / AOL - Dustin Wong, Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads (Thrill Jockey Records)
Dustin Wong – Pink Diamond by Thrill Jockey Records
- Eerily, Hive Mind proves its title to be apt by its first track “Doesn’t Matter” (If You Love Him),” which includes a sample of “I Will Always Love You” (albeit not by Whitney Houston) and appears therefore to be a blunt response to that song’s sentiment. Its rapid-fire stuttering repetition of the title is grating to the point of almost being trance-inducing. The remainder of the album marries house groove to unnerving samples to similar effect.
- This is a live album, featuring Josh Groban, Dianne Reeves, Ezra Koenig and Branford Marsalis.album stream at AOL
- Archers of Loaf, Vee Vee (1995 album; remastered, with a second CD of 16 demo tracks) (Merge)
Archers of Loaf – Harnessed in Slums (Remastered) by MergeRecords - T.S. Bonniwell, Close (Razor & Tie)
- Better known as Sean Bonniwell, he was the leader of ’60s garage band The Music Machine, whose hit “Talk Talk” graces the Nuggets compilations and many others like them. This was his only solo album; its failure to live up to his expectations led him out of the music business entirely. - Mel Brooks, Mel Brooks’ Greatest Hits (1978 album; remastered) (Wounded Bird)
- B.T. Express, Keep It Up (1982 album; remastered) (Funkytowngrooves US)
- André Cymone (former Prince bassist), André Cymone (Expanded Edition) (1982 album; remastered, with three bonus tracks), Survivin’ in the 80′s (Expanded Edition) (1983 album; remastered, with four bonus tracks) (Funkytowngrooves US)
- Phil Everly, Star Spangled Springer (unreleased 1973 album) (Wounded Bird)
- Pulp, Freaks / Separations / It (Fire Records)
- Early albums from Jarvis Cocker & co. are reissued. - Diana Ross, Diana Ross: Special Edition (1976 album; remastered, with bonus material) (Hip-O Select)
- Tortoise, Standards (Thrill Jockey Records)
- Trans Am, The Surveillance (Thrill Jockey Records)
- The Young Rascals, “Good Lovin’” (Atlantic) (1966)
- John Lennon, Rock ‘n’ Roll (EMI) (1975)
- Elvis Costello (The Costello Show), King Of America (Columbia) (1986)
- His first great acoustic album, among his greatest releases ever. - The Jesus Lizard, Goat (Touch and Go) (1991)
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- Previous RELEASED THIS DAY posts (snspost.com)
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