Galactic: Ya-Ka-May - Long time New Orleans residents, Galactic have made an album that reflects the city as they see it - blending all the town's seemingly disparate styles - jazz, brass bands and funk as well as the newer "bounce" influenced hip hop, in a way no band has before. Roky Erickson w/ Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil - Legendary musician Roky Erickson's first new album in fourteen years was produced by Okkervil River's Will Sheff and details, with heart-breaking candor, Erickson's harrowing life, interjecting the songs with love, hope, and spiritual grace.
Mose Allison - The Way Of The World - At the age of 85 and after a 12 year absence, this record finds the immensely influential Allison writing some of his most provocative songs to date, as with "A Modest Proposal" where the legendary artist suggests we give the notion of God a needed vacation: "He gave us the power to reason/Use it or lose it, they say/Let's let him go for a season/and start making sense today." Accompanied by Allison's distinctive blend of rollicking jazz and blues, The Way of the World is an instant classic, in Mose' or anyone else's repertoire.
Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame - The band's most openly autobiographical release to date peels back the layers of strings and horns of past albums to emphasize the raw immediacy of a tight unit honing their craft. A record destined to claim its place on the timeless margins, untouched by modern tastes and content to exist on its own terms.
Bettye LaVette - Interpretations - LaVette brings the British Invasion home to its American R&B roots with a 13-song journey through compositions by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and others. The result is a revelation of raw emotion and the inexorable ties between British rock ‘n' roll and the American blues and R&B.
Sage Francis - Li(f)e - On his electrifying new album, celebrated agent-provocateur of hip hop, Sage Francis enlisted a cadre of uniquely talented songwriters including Chris Walla, Mark Linkous, members of Calexico and more . The result is a thought provoking and unabashedly original album from an evolving artist with a refreshingly distinctive voice.
Lost in the Trees - All Alone in An Empty House - This inventive music collective from Chapel Hill, helmed by composer and songwriter Ari Picker, merges the dramatic symphonic elements of classical music with the accessibility of American folk and modern pop, creating a sound that is simultaneously intimate and sonically ambitious. The group's emotionally powerful and inspirational live shows have been winning new converts whenever they play.
Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone - Produced by Jeff Tweedy at Wilco's studio, the intimate and textured production showcases the iconic singer at her most powerful and fervent. You Are Not Alone mixes traditional gospel numbers with two new songs written for Mavis by Tweedy, plus her unique interpretations of songs by Pops Staples, Randy Newman, Allen Toussaint, John Fogerty, Rev. Gary Davis and Little Milton.
Grinderman - Grinderman 2 - Dangerous primordial rock and roll from visionary crooner Nick Cave working alongside longtime cohorts Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos. The record is the result of some improvisational in studio rocking with the ever imaginative Cave adding lyrics and vocals atop the beautifully inspired noise. This is rock and roll from grown men who have lived - a work of sublime sonic adventurousness.
Yann Tiersen - Dust Lane - Lauded French composer and multi instrumentalist Yann Tiersen is renowned for his soundtrack to the indie film Amelie and merging experimental aspects of classical with flourishes of folk and the bristling energy of post punk. His first US ever release Dust Lane charts a bold new musical course incorporating vintage electronics and lush choral textures into a joyful cinematic soundscape.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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