31
Aug
2004
• A founding father of the roots-punk alternative-country scene with Jason & The Scorchers,
Jason Ringenberg takes up a political picket in his new solo album, Empire Builders, due this
coming Tuesday on the Yep Roc imprint. Featuring Nashville's best session players - such as fiddler Fats Kaplan and multi-instrumentalist George Bradfute - Ringenberg reveals a passionate, authentic American voice as the songs mull our nation's foreign-trade policies and American shame in songs "New-Fashioned Imperialist" and "Rebel Flag in Germany." Other highlights include tributes to two diverse North American icons - Link Wray and Chief Joseph of Nez Perce Indians - a cover of Merle Haggard's "Rainbow Stew," and the cowboy-cool Beat-poet-flavored "American Reprieve."
• Three upcoming releases have captured my attention as delightfully strange. Next month Reboot Music is releasing the original motion picture soundtrack to Trekkies 2. Featuring the theme song "Beam Me Up" by Fred Schneider of the B-52's, the CD is made up of Star Trek fanatics paying homage to Captain Kirk and company. With tracks like "Everything I Do, I Do with William Shatner" by the Warp 11 and "We Are the Borg" by No Kill I, this one's a real interplanetary journey with character.
• Later this month Rounder Records is pushing rock 'n' roll classics through the polka squeezebox with its Rock 'n Polka project, featuring vocalists Lee Greenwood, Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, and more. Some of the rock songs pumping to that polka beat include the Beach Boys' "Fun Fun Fun," Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash," and The Coasters' "Charlie Brown."
• Experimental guitarist Elliott Sharp has played with greatness, alongside Bill Laswell, Hubert Sumlin, John Zorn, Mike Watt, and Eugene Chadborne, but his next adventure collaborates with spoken-word royalty and underground poets instead of eclectic musicians. Due later this month on Gaff Music, the brainy Radio Hyper-Yahoo CD collects Sharp's musical backdrops behind the rants and monologues of Eric Bogosian, Edwin Torres, Maggie Estep, and actor Steve Buscemi.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Usher tonight; The Late Show with David Letterman features Snow Patrol on Thursday and Hoobastank on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien welcomes Bruce Hornsby on Friday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn is an '80s flashback with The Alarm on Friday overnight; and Last Call with Carson Daly sits down with Lit on Thursday overnight and Gomez on Friday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, September 7:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Lauren Agnelli - Love Always Follows Me (Bongo Beat) new from the founding member of The Washington Squares
Anita Baker - My Everything (Blue Note) with guest Babyface
Patricia Barber - Live: A Fortnight in France (Blue Note) featuring a cover of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood"
The Black Keys - Rubber Factory (Fat Possum) featuring a cover of The Kinks' "Act Nice & Gentle"
John Cale - HomoSapiens (Or Music) domestic release of this album from last year by the Velvet Underground founding member
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "Nature Boy" (Mute) seven-inch single
Channels - Open (DeSoto) new six-track CD EP from J. Robbins of Jawbox and Burning Airlines
Charmparticles - Sit Down for Staying (Childstar) six-song CD EP of dreamy shoe-gazer ballads
Gabriel & Dresden - Bloom (Nettwerk) featuring re-mixes of Sarah McLachlan and Dido, and a cover of Depeche Mode's "Here Is the House" by Andain
Girlyman - Remember Who I Am (Daemon) second album of gorgeous harmonies from this Brooklyn-based trio, featuring a cover of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"
Greyscale - Cruel Machine (Camera Obscura) dark instrumental trio from Australia
Darren Hayes - The Tension & The Spark (Columbia) solo album from the Savage Garden vocalist
Eddie Hazel - Games, Dames, & Guitar Thangs (Rhino Handmade) limited to a one-time CD pressing of 5,000 copies, this lost acid-funk gem from 1977 showcases the Funkadelic guitarist's monster chops on three George Clinton/Bootsy Collins classics, The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreaming," and others with vocalists The Brides of Funkenstein
Jimi Hendrix - Jimi Hendrix: The Uncut Story (Koch Vision) three-DVD set
Hour Glass - Southbound: The Rare Liberty Recordings (Acadia) collection of material that predates Gregg and Duane Allman's Allman Brothers Band
David Jacobs-Strain - Ocean or a Teardrop (Northern Blues) named by Guitar One as one of "Ten Guitarists on the Brink of Greatness," and featuring a cover of Blind Willie Johnson's "Soul of a Man"
Rob K - The End of the Earth (Orange) new solo record from the Workdogs founder with guests Jon Spencer and Kid Congo Powers, and featuring a cool cover of Canned Heat's "Poor Moon"
Mike Keneally - Metropole Orkest (Favored Nations) new from the Frank Zappa collaborator, featuring a 50-piece orchestra
Kill Radio - Raised on Whipped Cream (Columbia)
Fela Kuti - The Underground Spiritual Game (Quannum) re-mixes by Chief Xcel of Blackalicious
Lennon - Career Suicide (John Galt Entertainment) all acoustic
Bobby Lindstrom - A Lick & A Promise (Blue Eyed Crow) roadhouse rockin' blues from this smokin' guitarist
Janiva Magness - Bury Him at the Crossroads (Northern Blues) brassy barroom blues featuring a cover of Delbert McClinton's "Ain't Lost Nothin'"
The Matches - Live from the House of Blues (Kung Fu) DVD
Christine McVie - In the Meantime (Adventures in Music/Koch) new solo album from the Fleetwood Mac vocalist
Medeski Martin & Wood - End of the World Party (Just In Case) (Blue Note) with producer John King of the Dust Brothers, this one's also available as a two-LP set
The Mice - For Almost Ever and Scooter (Scat) first time on CD for these 1980s' indie-pop gems from Cleveland
Alison Moyet - Voice (Sanctuary) new album from the former Yaz vocalist, covering 11 songs by George Gershwin, Burt Bacharach, Jacques Brel, Henry Purcell, and more
Cynthia Nelson - Sophie Drinker Record (Fort Necessity) solo debut from the former member of Retsin, The Naysayer, and Ruby Falls
Chuck Prophet - Age of Miracles (New West) on tour now with the Old 97's, and featuring members of Calexico
Fiona Renshaw - Love in a Bubble (Square Peg) debut from this sexy and powerful yet androgynous singer, reminiscent of a smooth R&B Annie Lennox, and featuring a cover of Gil Scott-Heron's "Home Is Where the Hatred Is"
Senses Fail - Let It Enfold You (Vagrant) brutal hardcore meets Daoism, Hinduism, and the poet Charles Bukowski
Skindred - Babylon (Lava) ragga metal fronted by Benji Webbe of Dub War
The Smithereens - It Came From New Jersey (Capitol) two-CD anthology featuring demos, previously unreleased songs, and a track-by-track song history by Dennis Diken
Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious (Artemis) just off the run of her off-Broadway play Prozac & Platypus
Matthew Sweet - Living Things (RCAM Records) written and recorded in three days with keyboardist Van Dyke Parks, and featuring the feline-friendly track "Big Cats of Shambala"
The Travoltas - High School Reunion (Fast Music) new synth punk from the Netherlands
Underminded - Hail Unamerican! (Kung Fu) crunchy riff-rock debut from San Diego
Ben Weaver - Stories Under Nail (Fugawee Bird) new from the Minnesota-raised singer-songwriter, recently picked by MOJO magazine as the Americana album of the month
Paul Westerberg - Folker (Vagrant) new from the Replacements founder
Wicker Park - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) featuring an acoustic version of Death Cab for Cutie's "A Movie Script Ending" and Johnette Napolitano's cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist"
various artists - Judgement Day: The Songs of Robert Johnson (Warlock) with Joanna Connor, Otis Clay, Jeff Jacobs, Carl Weathersby, and more
• Three upcoming releases have captured my attention as delightfully strange. Next month Reboot Music is releasing the original motion picture soundtrack to Trekkies 2. Featuring the theme song "Beam Me Up" by Fred Schneider of the B-52's, the CD is made up of Star Trek fanatics paying homage to Captain Kirk and company. With tracks like "Everything I Do, I Do with William Shatner" by the Warp 11 and "We Are the Borg" by No Kill I, this one's a real interplanetary journey with character.
• Later this month Rounder Records is pushing rock 'n' roll classics through the polka squeezebox with its Rock 'n Polka project, featuring vocalists Lee Greenwood, Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, and more. Some of the rock songs pumping to that polka beat include the Beach Boys' "Fun Fun Fun," Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash," and The Coasters' "Charlie Brown."
• Experimental guitarist Elliott Sharp has played with greatness, alongside Bill Laswell, Hubert Sumlin, John Zorn, Mike Watt, and Eugene Chadborne, but his next adventure collaborates with spoken-word royalty and underground poets instead of eclectic musicians. Due later this month on Gaff Music, the brainy Radio Hyper-Yahoo CD collects Sharp's musical backdrops behind the rants and monologues of Eric Bogosian, Edwin Torres, Maggie Estep, and actor Steve Buscemi.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Usher tonight; The Late Show with David Letterman features Snow Patrol on Thursday and Hoobastank on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien welcomes Bruce Hornsby on Friday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn is an '80s flashback with The Alarm on Friday overnight; and Last Call with Carson Daly sits down with Lit on Thursday overnight and Gomez on Friday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, September 7:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Lauren Agnelli - Love Always Follows Me (Bongo Beat) new from the founding member of The Washington Squares
Anita Baker - My Everything (Blue Note) with guest Babyface
Patricia Barber - Live: A Fortnight in France (Blue Note) featuring a cover of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood"
The Black Keys - Rubber Factory (Fat Possum) featuring a cover of The Kinks' "Act Nice & Gentle"
John Cale - HomoSapiens (Or Music) domestic release of this album from last year by the Velvet Underground founding member
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "Nature Boy" (Mute) seven-inch single
Channels - Open (DeSoto) new six-track CD EP from J. Robbins of Jawbox and Burning Airlines
Charmparticles - Sit Down for Staying (Childstar) six-song CD EP of dreamy shoe-gazer ballads
Gabriel & Dresden - Bloom (Nettwerk) featuring re-mixes of Sarah McLachlan and Dido, and a cover of Depeche Mode's "Here Is the House" by Andain
Girlyman - Remember Who I Am (Daemon) second album of gorgeous harmonies from this Brooklyn-based trio, featuring a cover of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"
Greyscale - Cruel Machine (Camera Obscura) dark instrumental trio from Australia
Darren Hayes - The Tension & The Spark (Columbia) solo album from the Savage Garden vocalist
Eddie Hazel - Games, Dames, & Guitar Thangs (Rhino Handmade) limited to a one-time CD pressing of 5,000 copies, this lost acid-funk gem from 1977 showcases the Funkadelic guitarist's monster chops on three George Clinton/Bootsy Collins classics, The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreaming," and others with vocalists The Brides of Funkenstein
Jimi Hendrix - Jimi Hendrix: The Uncut Story (Koch Vision) three-DVD set
Hour Glass - Southbound: The Rare Liberty Recordings (Acadia) collection of material that predates Gregg and Duane Allman's Allman Brothers Band
David Jacobs-Strain - Ocean or a Teardrop (Northern Blues) named by Guitar One as one of "Ten Guitarists on the Brink of Greatness," and featuring a cover of Blind Willie Johnson's "Soul of a Man"
Rob K - The End of the Earth (Orange) new solo record from the Workdogs founder with guests Jon Spencer and Kid Congo Powers, and featuring a cool cover of Canned Heat's "Poor Moon"
Mike Keneally - Metropole Orkest (Favored Nations) new from the Frank Zappa collaborator, featuring a 50-piece orchestra
Kill Radio - Raised on Whipped Cream (Columbia)
Fela Kuti - The Underground Spiritual Game (Quannum) re-mixes by Chief Xcel of Blackalicious
Lennon - Career Suicide (John Galt Entertainment) all acoustic
Bobby Lindstrom - A Lick & A Promise (Blue Eyed Crow) roadhouse rockin' blues from this smokin' guitarist
Janiva Magness - Bury Him at the Crossroads (Northern Blues) brassy barroom blues featuring a cover of Delbert McClinton's "Ain't Lost Nothin'"
The Matches - Live from the House of Blues (Kung Fu) DVD
Christine McVie - In the Meantime (Adventures in Music/Koch) new solo album from the Fleetwood Mac vocalist
Medeski Martin & Wood - End of the World Party (Just In Case) (Blue Note) with producer John King of the Dust Brothers, this one's also available as a two-LP set
The Mice - For Almost Ever and Scooter (Scat) first time on CD for these 1980s' indie-pop gems from Cleveland
Alison Moyet - Voice (Sanctuary) new album from the former Yaz vocalist, covering 11 songs by George Gershwin, Burt Bacharach, Jacques Brel, Henry Purcell, and more
Cynthia Nelson - Sophie Drinker Record (Fort Necessity) solo debut from the former member of Retsin, The Naysayer, and Ruby Falls
Chuck Prophet - Age of Miracles (New West) on tour now with the Old 97's, and featuring members of Calexico
Fiona Renshaw - Love in a Bubble (Square Peg) debut from this sexy and powerful yet androgynous singer, reminiscent of a smooth R&B Annie Lennox, and featuring a cover of Gil Scott-Heron's "Home Is Where the Hatred Is"
Senses Fail - Let It Enfold You (Vagrant) brutal hardcore meets Daoism, Hinduism, and the poet Charles Bukowski
Skindred - Babylon (Lava) ragga metal fronted by Benji Webbe of Dub War
The Smithereens - It Came From New Jersey (Capitol) two-CD anthology featuring demos, previously unreleased songs, and a track-by-track song history by Dennis Diken
Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious (Artemis) just off the run of her off-Broadway play Prozac & Platypus
Matthew Sweet - Living Things (RCAM Records) written and recorded in three days with keyboardist Van Dyke Parks, and featuring the feline-friendly track "Big Cats of Shambala"
The Travoltas - High School Reunion (Fast Music) new synth punk from the Netherlands
Underminded - Hail Unamerican! (Kung Fu) crunchy riff-rock debut from San Diego
Ben Weaver - Stories Under Nail (Fugawee Bird) new from the Minnesota-raised singer-songwriter, recently picked by MOJO magazine as the Americana album of the month
Paul Westerberg - Folker (Vagrant) new from the Replacements founder
Wicker Park - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) featuring an acoustic version of Death Cab for Cutie's "A Movie Script Ending" and Johnette Napolitano's cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist"
various artists - Judgement Day: The Songs of Robert Johnson (Warlock) with Joanna Connor, Otis Clay, Jeff Jacobs, Carl Weathersby, and more
