Staff Picks for December 2013
December 31, 2013
Trumpeter Mark Isham's languid, sensuous jazz soundtrack to Alan Rudolph's acclaimed 1997 romantic drama combined his talents as an arranger for film and as a longstanding Miles Davis acolyte. More than just a soundtrack, Afterglow is one of Isham's defining artistic statements and remains as memorable as Julie Christie's performance in the film.
![Connected [3-2-1]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0000148608/front/400/--1tgvfGimL1XaUvXh47mxyhM-OFI8zG4l-qVpXXB1I=.jpg)
December 30, 2013
Various Artists
Coming from a time when comps like Lyricist Lounge ruled the roost, the 1998 release Connected is a lost artifact from hip-hop's left-field. Blackalicious, Ultramagnetic MCs, and Doug E. Fresh are all on the track list, but keep an ear open for lesser knowns like the Angel and Brooklyn's booming reggae producer Ticklah.
December 29, 2013
Few artists consistently deliver such a string of quality albums as Joni Mitchell did in the 1970's. Her catalog is rife with introspective, forward-thinking records, but Hejira, her eighth studio effort, remains one of her brightest moments. Warm as the California desert and cool as the ice in Wollman Rink, her brilliantly conceived narratives play out over the subtle, jazzy arrangements and Jaco Pastorius' inventive bass-playing. Hejira is a classic in the singer/songwriter genre.
December 28, 2013
Recorded in 1997, this set sports the biggest big beats and funkiest funky breaks mixed up and delivered straight to skull like an anvil dropped from high atop a cliff. Say what you will about Norman Cook, but the guy knew how to get feet moving and this is an essential document of an era.
December 27, 2013
Listen to this reissue of the first two albums from the Bottle Rockets and be amazed these guys never broke outside the alt-country community -- this is tough, satisfying guitar-based rock with heart, soul, guts, humor, street smarts, and a side of Southern twang. And main songwriter Brian Henneman understood class division had as much to do with used cars as talk radio and the rebel flag… not to mention knowing the importance of a good cup of coffee.
December 26, 2013
Even in this outsider songwriter's small ouevre, Subway to the Country is an outlier. Its roots and veins are deep in the primary inspiration of early Tin Pan Alley and Brecht and Weill as well as theatrical music, blues and the folk revival, swirled in shades of gray to create a dark masterpiece.
December 25, 2013
Various Artists
Are you tired of "Dashing through the snow," "Joy(ing) to the world" and mercilessly "Dreaming of a white Christmas"? Stay true to the snowier aspects of the holidays, while dispensing with all of that commercially rendered good cheer, with this excellent Northside-issued collection of Beelzebub-inspired Hardanger fiddle jams from some of Norway's best and brightest.
December 24, 2013
Unfortunately underappreciated, this collection of original and traditional Christmas tunes performed in the Zippers' loose parlor string band style was unavailable for many years. It now seems to be in print again and available on many streaming services. Maybe this year Santa will see fit to put "My Evergreen" into heavy holiday rotation.
December 23, 2013
After the 1980 suicide of Joy Division vocalist Ian Curtis, the remaining members re-emerged as New Order with 1981's Movement. While only hints of the dance pop experimentalism the band would later perfect can be seen here, the album's muted, oddly-colored proto-electro offered a crystal ball into future excellence.
December 22, 2013
Nine years before he scored an unlikely number one hit in the U.K., via a Mark Kinchen remix of his Storm Queen track "Look Right Through," undervalued producer and DJ Morgan Geist reissued a handful of rare early-'80s post-disco recordings, then mixed them for this delightful set.
December 21, 2013
Their Harleys would start sputtering soon, but these Canadian-Americans were still at full roar on their 1968 sophomore outing. Everyone knows the hit “Magic Carpet Ride,” but there were other great tracks and the side two “blues suite” was an album highlight, building up a ferocious head of steam in a perfect meld of blues, pop, and psychedelia. Individual licks and lyrics were less than original, but the segues were unique and not a single note was wasted.
December 20, 2013
While their earlier work is buried under an immovable mountain of critical praise, Pavement's final album, Terror Twilight, never felt like it got a fair shake. Returning to the album without the bitter taste of their breakup still on the tongue, Terror Twilight reveals itself to be the band's dreamiest effort with languid jams like "Major Leagues" and "You are a Light."
December 19, 2013
Named after a very real swamp that lies near the border of Louisiana and Mississippi, the Honey Island Swamp Band specializes in a roots sound that incorporates the best of both states, a swampy mix of blues, soul, country, R&B, and the New Orleans rhythms of the group's hometown. These guys are like the Band, Little Feat, Dr. John, the Meters, and the Allman Brothers all rolled into one, with enough country in there to make Gram Parsons or George Jones a part of the mix, too. On Cane Sugar, the group's fourth album, they've put it all together in a Southern rock bayou gumbo that sparkles with verve and energy.
![Big Night [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001329364/front/400/LiqFTm1Xner_AY4ReB54iA4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg)
December 18, 2013
Original Soundtrack
1996’s restaurant dramedy Big Night was a visual feast, but all of those pornographic shots of risotto, bruschetta, and timpano would have been significantly less titillating had they not been accompanied by the sounds of Louis Prima, Rosemary Clooney, Claudio Villa, and Matteo Salvatore. This record will burst into flames if brought within ten feet of an Olive Garden.
December 17, 2013
A swinging, down and dirty blues and standards session with an unusually overdriven guitar sound from Herb Ellis, this 1957 date finds Webster framing his big, warm tenor chops against the crisp, urbane sound of the Oscar Peterson Trio.
December 16, 2013
Some reggae purists balked at all the energy and electronics employed on U-Roy's 2001 effort Now, but for me, this star-studded "comeback" effort is pure joy. For starts, check the DJ's hotstepping version of "OK Fred" with Errol Dunkley or his slow, simmering take on Peter Tosh's "Equal Rights".
December 15, 2013
1980's British experimental diva Danielle Dax was never easy to pigeonhole. Her alluring Marc Bolan-meets-Siouxie sound was spiced with unusual Middle Eastern accents, melodic goth-pop and straight-up experimentalism. After living outside the mainstream for most of the decade, she signed with Sire in 1988 and made her major label debut with the enchanting Dark Adapted-Eye.
December 14, 2013
Not quite so pop but certainly very British, the Kinks' first album for RCA attempts to create a working class continuum between Appalachian hillbillies and North London dead-enders. Ray Davies doesn't patronize, he celebrates the flaws in what is one his very best albums.
December 13, 2013
Skip Black Flag’s misbegotten “reunion” album; instead, pick up this collection of pre-Damaged singles and compilation tracks, and revel in the music that made them the most notorious American punk band of the ‘80s. Still dangerous and enlightening decades after the fact, this will scare your neighbors and start fights in no time flat, and Greg Ginn’s guitar work remains chaos made flesh.
December 12, 2013
Though this is the second album by the now legendary Chicago group who've made Durangese music popular in the United States, its uptempo style, and less glossy production make it a better representative sample of their infectious live sound.
December 11, 2013
This Sheffield band's first three albums are essential post-punk releases, but this compilation of BBC sessions is an excellent introduction that contains brawnier versions of A-sides and album cuts. Multiple editions are still in circulation. Go for the 2006 edition from the Renascent label.
December 10, 2013
Lou Reed's 1976 solo offering tapped back into the same warmth, excitement and lightheartedness that made the Velvet Underground's Loaded such a breath of fresh springtime air. Stepping out of a druggy, nihilistic cloud for just eight songs, Lou sounds almost optimistic at points. At least as optimistic as the prototypical punk and icon of gruff New York street life was gonna get.
December 9, 2013
It comes late in the Culture discography, but leader Joseph Hill had lost none of his edge lyrically. Payday is a work themed album with the title track, "Share the Riches", and others touching upon the 9-5 life, but then there's "Chicken Titty", one of the most bizarre and fun numbers in the Culture songbook.
December 8, 2013
Although no album could probably be considered a complete outlier in Dave Douglas' lengthy and exploratory career, 2003's Freak In comes as close as any. With a varied cast of musicians, it's less a "band" project than the trumpeter's other outings, and electronics are heavily featured, thanks in large part to associate producer Jamie Saft. Yet it's unquestionably unified by the playing and composing of Douglas, who continued to prove the scope of his artistry in this wired-up, plugged-in setting.
December 7, 2013
A superlative collection of the great R&B singer’s recordings for Warner Bros. in the 1970s. This is country-shot soul full of heartache, home truths, and hard-won wisdom; Alexander’s voice brings it all to vivid life, and his songwriting is equally impressive. While Arthur Alexander was best known for his handful of hits in the 1960s, this collection shows he only grew as an artist with the passage of time.
December 6, 2013
Here's some simple math: Mercury Rev's weirdness + My Bloody Valentines dreaminess = Rollerskate Skinny. What are you waiting for? Go listen to Horsedrawn Wishes already.
December 5, 2013
The Devil Makes Three is a very special trio, mixing old country blues, gospel, banjo reels, and ragtime, back-country stomp into a potent brand of folk-punk that has made their live shows near legendary. The band's albums are pretty memorable, too, but I'm a Stranger Here, produced in Nashville by Buddy Miller (who also plays guitar and baritone guitar on the album), has a warm and coherent sound to it that harnesses the band's chaotic energy without denying it.
December 4, 2013
Sometimes I miss the '90s of Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, day-glo neon spandex, Hackers-era Angelina Jolie and Johnny Lee Miller, big beat electronica, Yo! MTV Raps, rap-rock (when it was 311 and not Korn), acid jazz, and Jamiroquai. Yep, Jay Kay-in-a-mirrored-Native-American-headdress-speeding-down-the-Autobahn-in-a-purple-Lamborghini-singing-"Cosmic Girl"-Jamiroquai. Okay, he didn't wear the headdress in that video, but he should have. That's how I will always remember the band's 1997 break-out album, Travelling Without Moving.
December 3, 2013
All the recent Everly Brothers tributes salute the bittersweet close harmonies of the Everlys, but the brothers also rocked hard--the open tunings of "Bye Bye Love" are the birth of the power chord, as no less an authority than Pete Townshend has suggested. Equally compelling are such swinging '60s sides as "I'm Not Angry," which show that unlike many of their '50s peers, the brothers were happy to change with the times.
December 2, 2013
The trio's feminist electro-punk rarely sounded sharper or more stylish than on Will Save Us All, which spans subversively runway-ready dance-pop as well as gallery-ready performance art pieces. Sprinkled in between are witty covers of Cracker, the B-52's and the Normal that deliver spirited shout-outs to the Chicks' influences.
December 1, 2013
Before Owen Pallet became Arcade Fire’s string arranger, he was a one man indie pop orchestra named after Japan’s most beloved role playing game, and this unfortunately titled, yet immaculately delivered collection of classically-infused, music school-pop gems truly eats tears and poos clouds.