11
Apr
2006
· Three old friends from the 1980s are back on the radar next week, all with new CDs worth seeking out. No longer growling over the driving churn of The Psychedelic Furs, Richard Butler re-emerges with a self-titled solo album that's calm, mature, and a bit theatric.
Co-written and co-produced with multi-instrumentalist Jon Carin, the Koch Records release is a lush and intimate collection of romantic new originals. While the track "Broken Aeroplanes" carries the groove of the latter-day Furs sound, the rest of the album might be ready for Broadway lights, with "Breathe" and "Nothing's Wrong" soaring into a moody, lullaby fog.
· Adrian Belew wraps up his conceptual trilogy with Side Three on the Sanctuary Records imprint, getting muddy and funky with guests Les Claypool of Primus, Danny Carey of Tool, and King Crimson bandmate Robert Fripp. Squeaking, squawking, and playful, this is cinematic headphone rock in the vein of Stewart Copeland's kinetic Rumblefish soundtrack if it were performed by Raymond Scott and MC 900 Foot Jesus.
· With a wall of sound taller and thicker than any of its peers, Killing Joke returns Tuesday with the dark and powerful Hosannas from the Basements of Hell. Dripping with the angst of the basement Prague studio where it was recorded, the CD celebrates the band's 25th anniversary under knob-twister Mark Lusardi, who recorded the band's earliest sessions. It's too bad the CD generation is stuck with five-by-five-inch cover art, as the apocalyptic fold-out painting in the booklet by Victor Safonkin is an amazing, Dali-esque delight.
· Matthew Sweet is a lucky, lucky man, snuggling up next to Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles as Ming Tea in the Austin Powers movies and in the pair's new album of harmonious tributes to the 1960s. Shout Factory Records releases Under the Covers Volume One next week, with a promising track list, from Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" and "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" to The Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning" to The Who's "The Kids Are Alright." Other highlights alongside the Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing" and The Mamas & the Papas' "Monday Monday," are lesser-known songs by The Left Banke, The Marmalade, The Stone Poneys, and The Zombies. Here's hoping for a second volume.
· More cover magic is due next week from Erasure and its Union Street CD, unplugging Vince Clarke and Andy Bell from their electronics and going completely acoustic in this Mute Records release. Eleven songs from the duo's catalog are given this new treatment, even slipping into a country-and-western twang here and there.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno lets the Eagles of Death Metal soar Thursday night; The Late Show with David Letterman boasts Ben Harper this evening and Death Cab for Cutie on Thursday; Jimmy Kimmel Live comforts his inner child this evening overnight with The Wiggles; Last Call with Carson Daly presents Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders this evening overnight, Feist on Friday overnight, and Supergrass on Tuesday overnight; Late Night with Conan O'Brien hosts LL Cool J on Monday overnight; Austin City Limits features Jack Johnson and Rilo Kelly this weekend; and Saturday Night Live's musical guest is Pearl Jam.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, April 18:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
Above & Beyond - Tri-State (Ultra)
Aiden - Our Gang's Dark Oath (Victory) reissue of the group's first album
Akeelah & the Bee - original motion picture soundtrack (Lionsgate) with music from Heather Small, The Spinners, Curtis Mayfield, the Jackson 5, and more
Ben Allison - Cowboy Justice (Palmetto)
American Dreamz - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore)
Animal Liberation Orchestra - Fly Between Falls (Brushfire) my pick as one of the top 10 albums of last year, this surprise reissue boasts a remastered, reworked song list and one new track
Marshall Chapman - Mellowicious! (Tallgirl) all new from this prolific Nashville songwriter, getting into her own rootsy groove with guests Beth Neilsen Chapman and former Allman Brother Mike Lawler
The Church - Uninvited, Like the Clouds (Cooking Vinyl) all new celebrating their 26th anniversary
Dirty - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) with music by Oh No, Phonosapians, and The Dwarves
The Disco Biscuits - The Wind at Four to Fly (SCI Fidelity) two-CD live set, lifting its title from the lyrics to "Morph Dusseldorf," a 12-minute underwater jammer that closes out disc one
Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing & a Curse (New West)
Elefant - The Black Magic Show (Hollywood)
The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea (Fat Possum)
Frog Eyes - The Bloody Hand and The Golden River (Absolutely Kosher) expanded reissues
Gat-Rot - Us Versus Them (Rotten) brutal hardcore baked under the Tucson, Arizona, sun
The Gathering - Home (The End Records) new from the Dutch collaborative
Ian Gillan - Gillan's Inn (Immergent) DualDisc career retrospective of the Deep Purple vocalist and member of the original Jesus Christ Superstar cast, featuring an interactive "Smoke on the Water" on the DVD side in which you can choose the guitar solo you like best from Jeff Healey, Joe Satriani, or Steve Moore
Gram Rabbit - Cultivation (Stinky Records)
Hoobastank - Every Man for Himself (Island)
Hoot - original motion picture soundtrack (Mailboat) cover-crazy with Jimmy Buffett trying on Bruce Cockburn's "Wondering Where the Lions Are" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London," and Maroon 5 strolling through Bill Withers' "Lovely Day"
Icepick - Violent Epiphany (Stillborn) new from Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, with guests Al Barr of Dropkick Murphys and Roger Miret of Agnostic Front
Daniel Johnson - Welcome to My World (Eternal Yip Eye) 21-track anthology
Lack of Knowledge - Grey CD (Southern)
Lylas - Lessons for Lovers (Fictitious)
NOFX - Wolves in Wolves' Clothing (Fat Wreck)
Path of Resistance - Can't Stop the Truth (Victory) all-new vegan straight-edge hardcore
People Under the Stairs - Stepfather (Basement) with guests George Clinton and Monty Stark
Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental (Parlophone) import-only new album produced by Trevor Horn, featuring the song "Numb" written by Diane Warren
The Playwrights - English Self Storage (Sink & Stove) fantastic psychedelic-pop quintet from Bristol, England, planted in the nervous, quirky soil of XTC, The Jam, Gang of Four, and the Soft Boys
Vernon Reid & Masque - Other True Self (Favored Nations)
Rye Coalition - Curses (Gern Blandsten) produced by Dave Grohl, featuring a bonus DVD of live and in-studio footage
Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops (Reprise)
Sick Of It All - Death to Tyrants (Abacus) all new celebrating their 20th anniversary, and touring with Stretch Armstrong and First Blood next month
Spank Rock - Yoyoyoyoyoyo (Big Dada)
Stereophonics - Live From Dakota (Vox Populi Records) new two-CD set on their own artist-controlled label
Stoley P.T. - Lesson #1 (In Music We Trust) chipper, hum-along buzz pop from the former frontman of The Lupins, stoner daydreaming in waves of The Pixies and lounge-lizard glee
Lizzie West - I Pledge Allegiance to Myself (Appleseed)
Yes - 9012 Live (Image) live DVD filmed in 1986, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and featuring the mockumentary Access All Areas
· Adrian Belew wraps up his conceptual trilogy with Side Three on the Sanctuary Records imprint, getting muddy and funky with guests Les Claypool of Primus, Danny Carey of Tool, and King Crimson bandmate Robert Fripp. Squeaking, squawking, and playful, this is cinematic headphone rock in the vein of Stewart Copeland's kinetic Rumblefish soundtrack if it were performed by Raymond Scott and MC 900 Foot Jesus.
· With a wall of sound taller and thicker than any of its peers, Killing Joke returns Tuesday with the dark and powerful Hosannas from the Basements of Hell. Dripping with the angst of the basement Prague studio where it was recorded, the CD celebrates the band's 25th anniversary under knob-twister Mark Lusardi, who recorded the band's earliest sessions. It's too bad the CD generation is stuck with five-by-five-inch cover art, as the apocalyptic fold-out painting in the booklet by Victor Safonkin is an amazing, Dali-esque delight.
· Matthew Sweet is a lucky, lucky man, snuggling up next to Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles as Ming Tea in the Austin Powers movies and in the pair's new album of harmonious tributes to the 1960s. Shout Factory Records releases Under the Covers Volume One next week, with a promising track list, from Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" and "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" to The Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning" to The Who's "The Kids Are Alright." Other highlights alongside the Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing" and The Mamas & the Papas' "Monday Monday," are lesser-known songs by The Left Banke, The Marmalade, The Stone Poneys, and The Zombies. Here's hoping for a second volume.
· More cover magic is due next week from Erasure and its Union Street CD, unplugging Vince Clarke and Andy Bell from their electronics and going completely acoustic in this Mute Records release. Eleven songs from the duo's catalog are given this new treatment, even slipping into a country-and-western twang here and there.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno lets the Eagles of Death Metal soar Thursday night; The Late Show with David Letterman boasts Ben Harper this evening and Death Cab for Cutie on Thursday; Jimmy Kimmel Live comforts his inner child this evening overnight with The Wiggles; Last Call with Carson Daly presents Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders this evening overnight, Feist on Friday overnight, and Supergrass on Tuesday overnight; Late Night with Conan O'Brien hosts LL Cool J on Monday overnight; Austin City Limits features Jack Johnson and Rilo Kelly this weekend; and Saturday Night Live's musical guest is Pearl Jam.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, April 18:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
Above & Beyond - Tri-State (Ultra)
Aiden - Our Gang's Dark Oath (Victory) reissue of the group's first album
Akeelah & the Bee - original motion picture soundtrack (Lionsgate) with music from Heather Small, The Spinners, Curtis Mayfield, the Jackson 5, and more
Ben Allison - Cowboy Justice (Palmetto)
American Dreamz - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore)
Animal Liberation Orchestra - Fly Between Falls (Brushfire) my pick as one of the top 10 albums of last year, this surprise reissue boasts a remastered, reworked song list and one new track
Marshall Chapman - Mellowicious! (Tallgirl) all new from this prolific Nashville songwriter, getting into her own rootsy groove with guests Beth Neilsen Chapman and former Allman Brother Mike Lawler
The Church - Uninvited, Like the Clouds (Cooking Vinyl) all new celebrating their 26th anniversary
Dirty - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) with music by Oh No, Phonosapians, and The Dwarves
The Disco Biscuits - The Wind at Four to Fly (SCI Fidelity) two-CD live set, lifting its title from the lyrics to "Morph Dusseldorf," a 12-minute underwater jammer that closes out disc one
Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing & a Curse (New West)
Elefant - The Black Magic Show (Hollywood)
The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea (Fat Possum)
Frog Eyes - The Bloody Hand and The Golden River (Absolutely Kosher) expanded reissues
Gat-Rot - Us Versus Them (Rotten) brutal hardcore baked under the Tucson, Arizona, sun
The Gathering - Home (The End Records) new from the Dutch collaborative
Ian Gillan - Gillan's Inn (Immergent) DualDisc career retrospective of the Deep Purple vocalist and member of the original Jesus Christ Superstar cast, featuring an interactive "Smoke on the Water" on the DVD side in which you can choose the guitar solo you like best from Jeff Healey, Joe Satriani, or Steve Moore
Gram Rabbit - Cultivation (Stinky Records)
Hoobastank - Every Man for Himself (Island)
Hoot - original motion picture soundtrack (Mailboat) cover-crazy with Jimmy Buffett trying on Bruce Cockburn's "Wondering Where the Lions Are" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London," and Maroon 5 strolling through Bill Withers' "Lovely Day"
Icepick - Violent Epiphany (Stillborn) new from Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, with guests Al Barr of Dropkick Murphys and Roger Miret of Agnostic Front
Daniel Johnson - Welcome to My World (Eternal Yip Eye) 21-track anthology
Lack of Knowledge - Grey CD (Southern)
Lylas - Lessons for Lovers (Fictitious)
NOFX - Wolves in Wolves' Clothing (Fat Wreck)
Path of Resistance - Can't Stop the Truth (Victory) all-new vegan straight-edge hardcore
People Under the Stairs - Stepfather (Basement) with guests George Clinton and Monty Stark
Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental (Parlophone) import-only new album produced by Trevor Horn, featuring the song "Numb" written by Diane Warren
The Playwrights - English Self Storage (Sink & Stove) fantastic psychedelic-pop quintet from Bristol, England, planted in the nervous, quirky soil of XTC, The Jam, Gang of Four, and the Soft Boys
Vernon Reid & Masque - Other True Self (Favored Nations)
Rye Coalition - Curses (Gern Blandsten) produced by Dave Grohl, featuring a bonus DVD of live and in-studio footage
Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops (Reprise)
Sick Of It All - Death to Tyrants (Abacus) all new celebrating their 20th anniversary, and touring with Stretch Armstrong and First Blood next month
Spank Rock - Yoyoyoyoyoyo (Big Dada)
Stereophonics - Live From Dakota (Vox Populi Records) new two-CD set on their own artist-controlled label
Stoley P.T. - Lesson #1 (In Music We Trust) chipper, hum-along buzz pop from the former frontman of The Lupins, stoner daydreaming in waves of The Pixies and lounge-lizard glee
Lizzie West - I Pledge Allegiance to Myself (Appleseed)
Yes - 9012 Live (Image) live DVD filmed in 1986, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and featuring the mockumentary Access All Areas
