Staff Picks for August 2022
August 31, 2022
Robert Hood's best-known mix CD is tight, energetic, and brimming with personality, as he tweaks the filters, spins back records, and nimbly switches from one idea to the next. Far from the simplistic anonymity one might expect from minimal techno, this is vibrant, dynamic, and funky, paying homage to techno's roots in disco -- a key moment is Hood's own Sister Sledge-sampling "The Greatest Dancer."
August 30, 2022
The 1977 solo debut from avant garde trumpeter Jon Hassell was a slow-moving dream world that showed the very beginnings of the "fourth world" sound he would later solidify through collaborations with Brian Eno. Meditative and lingering, the album's textural pieces all feel like relaxed night time walks on empty beaches and abandoned city streets, with every environment stationed somewhere between the real and the imagined.
August 29, 2022
Arguably 10cc's best album, 1974's Sheet Music moved on from the charming faux-nostalgia of their debut into a gloriously crafted parody of the sounds of the mid-'70s, authentic enough to pass for the real thing and just bent enough to inspire a chuckle among the knowing. And "Silly Love" and "The Wall Street Shuffle" proved they could rock hard when they felt like it.
August 28, 2022
A worthy follow-up to one of the best full-lengths of Berlin's experimental camp, Interstate continues in the pulse vein but breaks up all hints of the flowing trance states on HongKong by attaching waves of distortion apparently grabbed from Autobahn source recordings. It's a more up-front record than its predecessor, while the emphasis on solid programming and unheard sounds keeps it in the same category: excellent.
August 27, 2022
This release marked a new era for Steve Khan. Eyewitness was essentially birthed of earlier jam session/improv ideas, and the chemistry between each musician, plus polished-up ideas readied for final studio recording. This melodic and relaxed jazz fusion holds a fiery tension that is evident everywhere. A sense of mystery and dreamy expectation flow within each song, as Khan weaves a tapestry of excellent guitarscapes and meandering solos that flirt with structure and form, but always avoid the expected norm.
August 26, 2022
Loreena McKennitt's fourth release, and first for a major label, is a quietly majestic tapestry of worldbeat and Celtic pop that effortlessly weaves together traditional and contemporary songs into lush showcases for her fluid voice and harp. The Visit is McKennitt at her most comfortable, creative, and soulful.
August 25, 2022
The band's 1982 debut was the brainchild of Chris Butler, who wrote most of the songs and co-produced in addition to playing guitar; his version of new wave was certainly danceable and fun, but witty and insightful lyrics were also an essential ingredient. Ultimately, though, it was singer Patty Donahue who gave the music a personality brimming with attitude, turning the album into a critical and commercial success with performances that ranged from playful sexiness on hit single "I Know What Boys Like" to a half-talk, half-yell with shades of post-punk on "Pussy Strut" and "Go On."
August 24, 2022
In the mid-80s, when many underground bands were eager to show how grimly transgressive they could be, Big Black claimed the heavyweight championship with 1986's Atomizer, welding buzzsaw guitars and sledgehammer electronic beats to lyrics depicting despicable behavior with casual familiarity. Steve Albini is still trying to live down the "Edgelord" banner this music helped him win, but this music remains ferociously powerful and honestly unsettling. Bad karma at its best.
August 23, 2022
Although not as well known outside of Italy as Ennio Morricone or Nino Rita, this Rome-based contemporary will appeal to many of their fans. His most prolific period is represented on this 80-minute compilation, which pulls from ten different soundtracks released between 1965 and 1975. Included is the popular "Mah Nà Mah Nà" from 1968's Sweden: Heaven and Hell, which was soon covered on Sesame Street and -- later and more memorably -- The Muppet Show, in 1977.
August 22, 2022
Colour Green is the one and only release from German underground folk denizen Sibylle Baier. A wistful rendering of Vashti Bunyan, Leonard Cohen, and Joni Mitchell, Baier's conversational voice can be both tragic and comforting, turning the simplest task into a sepia-toned snapshot of longing.
August 21, 2022
This marvelous 2003 collection from the Italian jazz pop eccentric rearranges highlights from his earlier catalog for the 21st century.
![Titanic [Music from the Motion Picture]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0002847135/front/400/q6InsrRCeqMYaLXgcP5IpCpQg_7iAU1wjqLgK_xGXts=.jpg)
August 20, 2022
While the Titanic sank, its music still lives on. The 1997 film's sweeping soundtrack is majestic yet chilling, encapsulating the ecstasy-turned-terror of the ship's ill-fated maiden voyage. James Horner interlaces gripping orchestral arrangements with Sissel's wordless, poignant vocals, creating an evocative tribute to the doomed ocean liner.
August 19, 2022
ZZ Top's first inarguably great album, 1973's Tres Hombres was where the Li'l Ol' Band from Texas perfected their formula of chunky minimalist blues coupled with inspired tall tales and the gritty splendor of Billy Gibbons' guitar work. Few bass players did more with less than Dusty Hill, and while Eliminator's chopped and channeled sound made them superstars ten years later, they never gave more bang for the buck than they did here.
August 18, 2022
A little corny, a little overearnest, but entirely within the Vegas showman's wheelhouse. On this 2010 solo debut, he takes his Springsteen devotion out into the dusty desert for a pleasant collection of wide-eyed storytelling gems that end up being more satisfying than all of the Killers' 2010s output. Highlights include "Only The Young," "Crossfire," and the four bonuses on the deluxe edition.
August 17, 2022
The Elgar Cello Concerto and cellist Jacqueline du Pré are inextricably linked and this 1965 EMI recording of du Pré with John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra is the first great recoding of the work the ill-fated artist was to make. Barbirolli's invitation for the 21-year-old du Pré to perform the concerto thrust her into the international spotlight and remains one of her most cherished recordings.
August 16, 2022
On this night in 1978, Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean and drummer Dave Sheen delivered an electric jazz date. Though all but the drummer contributed tunes, it is Gowen's compositions and arrangements that walk the fulfilling yet tense line between strictly composed elements and improvisation, as the band -- inspired beyond belief – fire on all cylinders.
August 15, 2022
The Swedish producer's solo debut is chock full of irresistible, quirky grooves and bubbly warmth.
![The Rocky Horror Picture Show [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001550261/front/400/Y9bX5phZ_x67Uujx1jsA-1WnbEN5fCjifro6xhIBuB4=.jpg)
August 14, 2022
Various Artists
This exquisitely zany soundtrack pairs marvelously with the horror/musical-comedy cult classic. The 16 tracks range from cute to ominous to simply hysterical, and with music this iconic, it's no wonder that the 1975 film continues to play in theaters today.
August 13, 2022
Charles Mingus' Jazz in Detroit / Strata Concert Gallery / 46 Seldon from 1973 is a fine archival jazz surprise released during a year full of them -- think John Coltrane's Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album. This five-disc box captures the great bassist and composer and a hybrid quintet during a weeklong workshop residency in Detroit captured in live radio broadcasts
August 12, 2022
Colin Davis' studio recording of Massenet's Werther, starring José Carreras and Frederica von Stade, won Gramophone's Engineering Award in 1981 for good reason; it is one of the best-sounding operatic recordings you'll ever hear. The sense of theatrical space, the warmth of tone, and the overall balance between voices and orchestra are as good as studio opera recordings get. Davis' conducting is just as fine, eliciting stunningly warm and vivid playing from the Royal Opera House orchestra.
August 11, 2022
Goofy, glamorous, giddy, and totally ridiculous, this is pop music for people who hate the notion of popular music, but still want alll the cotton candy-light rush, soda pop fizz, and sheer silliness it can bring. This particularly weird version of pop comes complete with New Age-mysticism, Bill Laswell production, and totally weird cameos by Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
August 10, 2022
Ted Hawkins was a great songwriter and outstanding singer who fell through the cracks of the music business, making his living busking on the Venice Beach boardwalk before releasing his major label debut in 1994 – and dying from a stroke nine months later. 1986's Happy Hour, an early effort for Rounder Records, is arguably his best album, preserving the sandy power of his soulful vocals and the home truths of his lyrics.
August 9, 2022
Various Artists
In 1994, Kiss was in a weird place. The glam and metal of the 80's had given way to grunge and alternative and most of the groups associated with these now-passé styles fell by the wayside. The funny thing was many of these new groups grew up listening to Kiss, and so nearly 20 years after their fame peaked this quirky album full of modern acts covering classic Kiss songs was released. This record has straight up covers, like Garth Brooks' interpretation of Hard Luck Woman, but the best moments are when this album gets weird, like Lenny Kravitz's funky duet with Stevie Wonder on Deuce or Toad the Wet Sprocket's plodding cover of Rock and Roll all Nite. Long out of print, this release has recently resurfaced on streaming services and is worth checking out.
August 8, 2022
After the lovely nervous breakdown of the third Big Star album failed to find an audience, Alex Chilton said to hell with it, dove headfirst into chaos, and bobbed to the surface with 1979's Like Flies on Sherbert. Aggressively sloppy, shot through with random noise, and suggesting everyone involved was on a serious bender, it was a final shout of manic defiance before he reemerged in 1985 with the low-budget soul of Feudalist Tarts.
August 7, 2022
On this sextet date with multi-reedist Eric Dolphy, trombonist Julian Priester, and drummer Max Roach, Booker Little’s playing was past bebop. His seven challenging originals offer many strong moments and satisfying performances.
August 6, 2022
On this 23-track double album, New Orleans trumpeter Scott and his seasoned quintet create a seamless, holistic 21st century jazz that confidently points toward new harmonic horizons. They take listeners on an exhaustive, ambitious journey through jazz, employing elements of rock, hip-hop, and even traces of Crescent City R&B. It's long and diverse, but it's accessible in its ambitious creativity.
August 5, 2022
The third outing from the Stephin Merritt-led trio pairs kitschy, Brill Building-inspired electro-pop with sardonic tales of woe. Few songwriters can capture the bleak comedy of loneliness, bitterness, and the sheer helplessness that accompanies aging better than Merritt, and he does so here with great aplomb
August 4, 2022
One of the lesser-appreciated INXS albums from their late era, Welcome to Wherever You Are was released 30 years ago today. The album opens with a quasi-mystical drone but quickly shifts into the slick fashion-pop that the band was known for. "Heaven Sent," "Taste It" and the slinky "Not Enough Time" are all tailor made for an MTV House of Style runway montage, and that's not a bad thing.
August 3, 2022
Larry Heard's lush, atmospheric solo singles as Mr. Fingers, particularly the life-affirming "Can You Feel It," ushered in deep house during the 1980s, though some of his other tracks during the era are grittier and trippier than one might expect. Though it was originally released without Heard's permission, Ammnesia collected much of his best work during the decade in one place, and stands as one of the best house albums of all time. It was just given a proper, triple-LP reissue by the artist's own Alleviated Records.
August 2, 2022
A warm summery slab of soft rock that could only have happened in the mid-seventies, Starbuck's music exudes toothy smiles, feathered hair and fringed suede jackets in the best possible way. The title track is the album's highlight, an organ/synth-driven seduction song with breathy verses and an unexpected marimba solo.
August 1, 2022
Glee: The Music, Vol. 7 continues the show's tradition of covering popular music, with covers of pop classics, from Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" to Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)," dominating the album; however, the soundtrack doesn't forget the cast's Broadway roots, as evidenced by the inclusion of West Side Story's "Tonight" and "Somewhere." Although Glee typically sticks pretty close to source material, it is not afraid to be adventurous; Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" and Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" are performed by guys, while the Adele hits "Rumour Has It" and "Someone Like You" are woven together into a seamless mashup.