Staff Picks for February 2012
February 29, 2012
Yeah, that new VH record is pretty good, but they really miss Michael Anthony's thunderingly simple bass lines. Not to mention any songs half as good as "Dance the Night Away" on the pop side or "DOA" on the heavy side.
February 28, 2012
Air's original score for Georges Méliès' silent sci-fi epic expresses the film's whimsical and eerie visuals and its colonial undercurrents. The retro-futuristic, psychedelic music -- which is especially trippy on cuts such as "Sonic Armada" -- is as true to Air's aesthetic as it is to Méliès'.
February 27, 2012
This 1980 release offers horn-heavy instrumental dub mixes with fragmentary glances into Johnson's politically poetic lyrics. Happening in a moment of transition between roots production styles and the emergence of digital dancehall, In Dub utilizes only the best aspects of what would soon become overly-computerized reggae production.
February 26, 2012
They were heralded by the likes of 2Pac and De La Soul, plus you have to dig a group that sampled both Wings and Funkadelic, and way back in '91. Check out "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" and you'll hear the old school transitioning into the sound of today.
February 25, 2012
Galactic's wonderfully rowdy new album is a celebration of Mardis Gras Day in the Deep South to Carnivale in Brazil. These massive grooves contain collaborations with Mardis Gras Indians, Ivan and Cyril Neville, Mystikal, a marching band, and Moyseis Marques wedding funk, hip hop, R&B and samba in a sensational gumbo.
February 24, 2012
Issued in 2007, this compilation from King Britt pulls up spaced-out, spiritual, avant-garde jazz truffles from late '60s and '70s. The disc features rare and overlooked material from Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Mtume, Don Cherry, and Flora Purim, among others.
February 23, 2012
This roster of jazz musicians (Frisell, Metheny, Johnson and drummer Joey Baron) had the potential to produce a bombastic noodley explosion of an album but instead turned out a warm, summery, laid-back melodic charmer.
February 22, 2012
The high energy Chicago based band, Phantom Three attack these 14 tracks with an equal amount of abandon and humor without completely sidestepping melody. Song titles such as: "Strip Poker," "Out on Parole," "Outer Space Van," and "Stabbed in the Back," give you a good idea of where these guys are coming from.
February 21, 2012
As far as 90's producers go, you really can't beat Clivilles and Cole for making big, dumb, amazingly fun dance jams and this is their masterpiece. You know all the hits but the deep cuts have plenty of zing, a few of them probably should have been hits too.
February 20, 2012
On I Will Set You Free, musical chameleon Barry Adamson revisits his rock and roll and postpunk pasts, without giving ground on his cinematic scope or his trademark swaggering lounge lizard jazzman personna.
February 19, 2012
Various Artists
All of your favorite long-forgotten Detroit-area garage bands -- from the Up to the Herd and well, well beyond -- are collected on this 30-pack of '60s goodness.
February 18, 2012
This set draws vocal and instrumental versions of Bill Monroe songs that Tony Rice recorded for his various Rounder albums over the years. Rice brings his own touch to these songs, reimagining them as only he can.
February 16, 2012
The tracks on Straight Life had been sitting in the Blue Note vaults since they were recorded on June 22, 1961, representing the only recorded output that year by Jimmy Smith. Although not in the same league as Midnight Special or Prayer Meetin', it's great to hear this lost hard bop session from the master of the Hammond B3.
February 15, 2012
Psychedelia purveyors July may have only lasted a year and never charted in the US or their native UK, but that short time yielded their self-titled album, prized by listeners in the know for its kaleidoscopic harmonies, intricate guitar excursions and trippy storytelling.
February 14, 2012
The third record from Olympia Washington twee pioneers, Black Candy is a primitive swirl of eeriness and innocence. Part Cramps-fueled garage clunk and part tender-hearted balladry, this is the trio at their confused, punky best
February 13, 2012
Band on the Run has all the good things about McCartney gathered up in one place with precious little of the bad. It also has his best rock song ("Jet") and his best ballad ("Bluebird") too.
February 12, 2012
In my opinion, the communal shrug the press gave this album has something to do with Odd Future backlash and an associated release you can safely go "meh" about. Too bad because the great, second wave of trip-hop is here and y'all sleepin' on it!
February 11, 2012
Criminally underrated singer/songwriter David Ackles' baroque-folk masterpiece will both impress and depress the sh#t out of you. Think Scott Walker without the divisive Las Vegas delivery.
February 10, 2012
Brighton, England's best contrarian post-post-punk duo is back after a five-year wait with more anti-anthems and cautionary tales about conformity and consumerism. The group's world of granite grey skies and bitter harvests may not be cheery, but it's undeniably compelling.
February 9, 2012
Singer/songwriter Mike Doughty delivers stripped down renditions of his post-Soul Coughing output while answering questions about the minutiae of his life on his latest live album, The Question Jar Show.
February 8, 2012
Various Artists
Remember Jungle? Seems like a long lost joke of sorts now, but this comp proves that the best jungle cats were making some truly amazing dance music that remains impossible to dance to but a lot of fun to listen to.
February 7, 2012
German producer Hendrik Weber's 2nd album as Pantha Du Prince is compact world of it's own. Minimal house beats serve as the background for lush arpeggiated bells and walls of fuzzy synths. The ten drawn-out tracks are a picture of wintery comfort and intricate subtleties.
February 6, 2012
Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis mixes post-bop, New Orleans jazz, gospel music and Latin and European traditions into his own compositions. Touching on such themes as love and loss, the human condition, and the uniquely American theme of slavery, the anthology The Music of America is a heady and fruitful listening experience.
February 5, 2012
Anton Fier's rotating ensemble of underground NYC musicians sink into slinky trip-hop grooves on 1994's Pure. Assisting Bill Laswell and Bootsy Collins are Lori Carson and Lydia Kavanaugh, whose vocals are perfectly sweet and sexy. If controversial artwork offends you, The Palominos' outing from 1993 is a close runner-up.
February 4, 2012
Various Artists
Representing a cavalcade of crime, Sampled presents the most positively pilfered tracks of all time -- from the ubiquitous (James Brown's landmark "Funky Drummer") to the rather more obscure (Lulu's oddball pop chestnut "Love Loves to Love").
February 3, 2012
Co-produced by the late Dick Griffey and the recently deceased Don Cornelius, this album from Los Angeles' smooth-soul veterans features a disco-fied version of Bread's "Make It with You" (a Top Ten R&B single) and deeper, slick cuts like "Love Is a Dream" and "Chocolate Girl."
February 2, 2012
The Wild Swans may have started out as a serious, U2-esque band but by the time of 1989's Space Flower they were writing super poppy songs called "Chocolate Bubblegum" and "Tangerine Temple." Guess which incarnation was better...
February 1, 2012
As part of the Hits You Remember: Live series, this short overview of rockabilly revivalist Robert Gordon features ten cover songs that became a major part of his repertoire throughout the years. These live performances are highly recommended, as they deliver the much-needed adrenaline that is occasionally lacking on Gordon's studio albums.