Staff Picks for December 2018
December 31, 2018
In addition to being perhaps the most famous early rock & roll radio DJ of all, Alan Freed also promoted and presented many early rock & roll concerts, at which a house band was needed to play and back many of the artists. What we have are two dozen early rock & roll instrumentals that sound pretty much like they were thrown together on the spot, albeit played with great professionalism. Stock early rock & roll/R&B progressions dominate, with plenty of honking saxes.
December 30, 2018
Good 'n' Cheap rides a fine line between early '70s soft pop and California country-rock (despite the band being from England). At times loose and boozy, at other times quietly introspective, at any given point their compositions would feel at home on side two of a Faces album or as a lost demo from The Band's Music from Big Pink. It's no mystery why these songs never climbed to the top of the charts, but at the same time it is clear why this album is said to have kicked off a the pub rock movement - Eggs Over Easy's raw energy and stumbling earnestness encourages the listener to grab just one more pint before hitting the road.
December 29, 2018
Though they only released one album, the New Bloods made it count: The Secret Life's stunning mix of brashly feminist post-punk and bittersweet melodies not only pays tribute to legends like the Slits and the Raincoats, it foreshadows the work of 2010s acts such as Shopping and Sacred Paws.
December 28, 2018
I'm in the minority, but I actually prefer Canadian enigma Lewis' second album to his 1983 debut L'Amour, which became a major phenomenon of the MP3 blog era. This one introduces somnambulant drum machines and fluttering saxophones to his sound, and it's nearly impossible to hear it without thinking of Twin Peaks -- a show which premiered five years after the initial release of this album.
December 27, 2018
A guilty pleasure for the ages, this collaboration between the late icon and Timbaland is as divisive as can be. Digesting Cornell's oeuvre in the wake of his passing doesn't absolve this album completely, but a decade later, perhaps the shift in genre lines has at least made it more palatable. Whatever the case, it's catchy, wistfully nostalgic, and worthwhile simply to hear Cornell's voice again on gems like "Never the Same" and "Long Gone."
December 26, 2018
It is almost a disservice to think of Chuck Johnson as a guitarist because, while he is extremely adept at playing his instrument, the sounds on Balsams feel almost like a swelling church organ or the gusts the winds might make in a dry melodic canyon. Similar to William Tyler's Modern Country, this album is a sprawling ambient blanket containing layers of braided sound and landscapes of sun-baked minor key melodies, like the earth-bound companion to Brian Eno's Apollo.
December 25, 2018
Produced by Mike Crossey, the album finds the band deftly straddling the line between the uber-polished studio aesthetic favored by '90s production powerhouse Stock, Aitken & Waterman, and the dreamy, evocative indie electronic of bands like Passion Pit. It's a creative equation that also calls to mind fellow Brits the 1975, set apart by the distinctive immediacy of singer Natassja "Natti" Shiner, whose crisp, airy vocals convey earnest passion.
December 24, 2018
Overflowing with positivity, imagination and life, Chance's third mixtape from 2016 draws direct lines between gospel and rap, connecting the two with threads of joy and storytelling. Chance's charisma feels limitless and is only bolstered by some of the crispest and inventive production from that year's chapter of hip hop's always evolving landscape.
December 23, 2018
On his second album as Vessel, Seb Gainsborough eschewed the recombinations of techno, house, and dub of his earlier work in favor of stripped-down yet aggressive tracks crafted with sheets of metal and handmade instruments. The results are uneasy, strangely sexy and gripping from start to finish.
December 22, 2018
Somehow transported forward in time from Laurel Canyon in the 1970s, Treetop Flyers' debut album is collection of wistful acoustic Americana tunes in the style of CSNY and America (another British band that captured the California sound with unexpected accuracy). Like a less-bombastic My Morning Jacket, this five-piece croons and noodles over lazy backbeats, the songs buoyed by rich harmonies. Their subsequent albums nudged toward slightly busier instrumentation and production, but this first record is a warm summertime beachfire gem.
![The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World [Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004154351/front/400/Gfdygqcrzw1WptiA_rE669_M69_UI9rrJSVvWL2-yAg=.jpg)
December 21, 2018
Original Off-Broadway Cast
Nerdy record collectors can tell you about the Shaggs, three sisters from New Hampshire who one day in 1969 recorded one of worst albums ever made. Joy Gregory and Gunnar Madsen's 2014 off-Broadway musical tells the very strange story behind the Shaggs, and their songs find heart, humor and poignance in a tale of bizarre family dynamics and unexpected resilience.
December 20, 2018
Having both female and male lead vocals has always been a particularly distinctive and effective plan of attack for the band, and while Shapeshifting is no exception, it is Catherine McCandless' burnished, warm, and controlled voice that garners most of the album's focus. A commanding presence on record with an almost ritualistic, hypnotic delivery, McCandless brings to mind nothing less than a slightly more arch take on late-'80s Carly Simon.
December 19, 2018
The Faroe Islands-based Viking metal crew's fourth full-length delivers a heady brew of progressive folk-metal that's as pure as fresh blood on snow. Rousing battle hymns are a prominent aspect of Land, a ten-song, highly melodic juggernaut of Norse brutality that is as taut and clinical as it is glorious and epic.
December 18, 2018
Elmer Bernstein's jazz orchestra performed the noir-styled score for this 1957 classic concerning New York City social life and the publicity racket. On this combined soundtrack, Chico Hamilton's quintet represents about a third of the selections, including music from scenes where they appeared on-screen. Instrumentalists represented include such heavyweights as Conte and Pete Candoli, Herb Geller, and Shelly Manne.
December 17, 2018
After the band's rocket to fame in the late '70s, Boston mastermind Tom Scholtz became inevitably tied up in legal battles with his manager and label, leaving the rest of his band idle. During the downtime, guitarist Barry Goudreau enlisted almost the entire band to record nine very Boston-sounding tracks. It feels almost as if Scholtz left every amp and microphone as-is after Boston's second record, and Goudreau and company just stepped in and recorded the band's third record while Scholtz wasn't looking. The album's clear highlight is the minor hit "Dreams" which channels a familiar guitar tone and anthemic chorus.
December 16, 2018
Often overlooked in favor of his instant-classic debut The Sun Rises In The East, the second album from Gang Starr's gifted protege is nearly as satisfying, a smart, streetwise collection of incisive rhymes well served by DJ Premiere's production. He cleverly skewers the excesses of commercial rap on "One Day" and "The Bullshit," while celebrating his own outsized skills on "Black Cowboy" and "Physical Stamina." And he proves it's not bragging if you can do it.
December 15, 2018
While "The Safety Dance" lives on as one of the 1980s' most enduring (and lampooned) pop cultural references, Quebec's Men Without Hats had plenty of other clever and elegantly-made releases to their credit including their 1986 masterwork, Pop Goes the World, a lush a vibrant tale concerning the quest for and backlash of fame.
December 14, 2018
Released in 1973, the debut offering from the prolific bassist and composer is a killer outing of spiritual jazz funk and soulful fusion. Produced by Chick Corea, the date features stellar performances from Art Webb, Pat Martino, Lenny White, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Andy Bey. Issued the same year as Norman Connors' Dance Of Magic (on which Clarke played bass), this brilliant set is its aesthetic cousin.
December 13, 2018
Twisting post-grunge into a cheeky glam rock sound on their self-titled debut, the very L.A. band plays around with generic-branded alterna-rock for a humorous collection of songs. There will be no thrashing angst-ridden headbanging going on, for Tsar melts glossy new wave elements with corporate guitar rock flair.
December 12, 2018
Spirit is largely remembered as a hard-driving rock band based on their biggest hit "I Got a Line on You," so it is difficult to wrap one's head around this bizarro concept record. Originating in the early '70s and reworked for a 1981 release, the science fiction backstory is illustrated by a comic strip (included in the LP) and the disjointed nature of the album makes for a puzzling listen, but man, there are some good songs on there. Proto-disco, Beach Boys harmonies, Yacht Rock bounce, electronic synth noodling, bluesy chooglin' and a chiming Byrds-influenced closer, Potatoland is a grab bag of trippy California oddities.
December 11, 2018
Overshadowed by Janet Jackson's blockbuster Control -- another Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis project, released only two months earlier -- the Atlanta-based group's sixth LP leads with two of their best ballads, "Even When You Sleep" and the deep-gem title track, and also contains the number two R&B hit "The Finest."
December 10, 2018
Widely recognized as King Diamond's solo masterpiece, Abigail is also unquestionably one of heavy metal's greatest concept albums. The combined quality of the words and music to be found on Abigail make it an exercise in goth metal storytelling that remains quite simply nonpareil -- among the living, at least.
December 9, 2018
This debut was so vibrant and the vocal stylings so unusual that it put Lovich at the front of the pack of nascent new wavers. Though it took a cover of the bubblegum classic "I Think We're Alone Now" to get the attention of the mainstream, its B-side, "Lucky Number," went on to reach the U.K. Top Three.
December 8, 2018
A landmark for both the Kompakt label and ambient techno, this features some of Jörg Burger's fully engaging and most inventive productions. Full of lush atmospheric elements and churning dance rhythms, and brilliantly paced, it's a travelogue as much as Carl Craig's Landcruising, Morgan Geist's Driving Memoirs, and Model 500's Deep Space.
December 7, 2018
Various Artists
Lo-fi bedroom recorded shut-ins, becardiganed twee poppers, bubbly electro-pop primitives, striped shirt indie kids and below the radar types of all kinds make up the cast list of this fine 1996 compilation that gathers up 40 heartfelt and strummy songs from across the US. Not all of them are hits, but enough are that the combined slugging percentage is hall of fame worthy.
December 6, 2018
56 minutes of pure atmosphere and dynamics, 1996's Horse Stories was the 3rd album from Australia's Dirty Three and their first unqualified masterpiece. The rough textures of Mick Turner's guitar and Warren Ellis's violin rise and fall into soundscapes of forbidding beauty and emotional impact, with Jim White's skeletal drumming offering the ideal punctuation to their interplay. Music this simple rarely feels quite so complex, or so eloquent.
December 5, 2018
The stone cold, smooth soul classic by the Motown staff writer recording artist who penned Marvin Gaye's I Want You album. Comprised of the songwriter's elegant babymakers, this set crisscross light funk, classy disco, shimmering jazz and classy R&B. Highlights include "Learning How to Love You," "Instant Love," and "Body Heat." Turn down the lights with a loved one and groove.
December 4, 2018
Sigh's fifth album found the pioneering Japanese black metal group throwing all manners of unexpected elements into their sound, including dub breakdowns, piano sonatas, ELO-esque pop melodies, and jazz fusion synths. Truly stretching the boundaries of metal, the genre's purists probably hate it, but it's a must-hear for anyone who appreciates unrestricted musical creativity.
December 3, 2018
While this album -- her fifteenth -- just came out, it's worth a reminder simply because it's good. Compared to her inconsistent 21st century output, this tight, cohesive collection of straightforward R&B is one of her best, recalling her late '90s output. For the first time in a while, she's letting her guard down, both with wit ("GTFO" and "A No No") and heart ("8th Grade" and "Portrait").
December 2, 2018
An alter ego of electronic artist Nicolas Jaar, A.A.L. leans more on chopped samples and playful house beats than Jaar's often abstract and ominous work under his own name. This collection compiles tracks from various 12" releases, highlighting a more fun and carefree side of Jaar's sonic personality.
December 1, 2018
The second album of peculiar and infectious pop from Atlanta-based musician and graphic designer JD Walsh marries breezy Balearic vibes, bright African guitar lines, and soothing vocoder stacks making for a pleasantly offbeat fusion.