Staff Picks for February 2015
February 28, 2015
On their sophomore album, this Indiana based, self-proclaimed "stoner emo" trio embody all the plodding bliss of 90's slowcore bands like Codeine as well as the obsession with textural guitars and winsome melodies that made Hum a cult favorite.
February 27, 2015
Dark, rustic, and reliably eclectic, New York state's folk outsiders the Horse Flies were the perfect band to compose the score for this 1994 indie film about a headstrong Vermont ex-logger and his battle against the hydro-electric company trying to flood his property.
February 26, 2015
This is one of the finest jazz-funk albums from the late '70s/early '80s Jamaica Queens scene—a highlight of executive producer Don Mizell's Elektra tenure as well. Co-produced by supreme drummer White with Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind & Fire, the material has an uplifting sound similar to that group's output, and all of it is enhanced by top-form songwriter, vocalist, and keyboardist Don Blackman.
February 25, 2015
Various Artists
Brilliant idea for a compilation and it's executed well, too: round up all the honky tonkers, hillbillies and rockabilly cats that took a stab at rock & roll after Elvis Presley became a superstar. At that point, it seemed probable—possibly even likely—that rock & roll would be nothing more than a fad along the lines of country boogie, so all these country singers were happy to take a crack at that wild, new beat. Not everything here works but there are killer cuts here, including the hard-swinging "Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor" by Johnny Horton and George Jones' "Heartbreak Hotel." The first volume is nearly as good, too.
February 24, 2015
Although "The Other One" clocks in at 18 minutes, the Dead's second live album, the 1971 double LP known as Skull & Roses after its iconic cover, is notable for its concision, with even "Playing in the Band" falling shy of the five-minute mark. Coming after two relatively gentle studio albums, the Dead explored their roots on a handful of compact blues, country, and rock & roll standards while proving their continuing ability to rock out on-stage. And Garcia didn't need epic-length sprawl for one of his finest, most heartfelt solos in "Me and Bobby McGee."
February 23, 2015
One of Captured Tracks' more unique reissues, this collection of the little-known German group's body of work is a welcome (re)introduction to their playful-yet-enigmatic music. Mixing aspects of Middle Eastern music, disco and dub (the band's producer was dub legend Dennis Bovell), Saâda Bonaire's sound has just enough of the '80s to sound familiar and just enough mystery to be entirely captivating.
February 22, 2015
Dirtbombs leader Mick Collins decisively declares that singles are better than albums in the liner notes to this collection, and the music confirms that the guy has a point. gathers 52 tracks the Dirtbombs previously released on 7-inch vinyl, and for sheer stylistic range, ambition, rock action, and sense of fun, this is the most thoroughly enjoyable album in their catalog, an economy-sized blast of punk, pop, rock and soul.
February 21, 2015
Before this album, XTC's output leaned heavily in favor of their singles, but with the help of producer Todd Rundgren, Skylarking stands out as their first fully realized eccentric pop album. Maybe even a classic of the genre, full of lush orchestrations and really hooky, super brainy songs. Try to find an early version, it's more fun without the addition of their most annoying song, "Dear God."
February 20, 2015
"In The Dark," "The Stroke," "My Kinda Lover," and "Lonely Is The Night"? William Squire could do no wrong in 1981, and his second studio album, which went triple platinum and stayed on the Billboards charts for over two straight years, is a juggernaut of radio friendly melodic hard rock built around a single about masturbation, albeit as a metaphor for the music industry.
February 19, 2015
While catharsis has inspired some of the greatest art, just as often it's the seam where self indulgence overcomes creative vision. Not so here. This is a crucible of confessional, primal songs offered in a collision of forms and genres. They offer a soul searing look at loneliness, alienation, shame, lust, betrayal, and longing. Fifteen years later, it remains potent, grim and necessary.
February 18, 2015
The late-guitarist/vocalist's debut for Blind Pig found the Maine-sensation exploding more stylistic barriers on his swaggering blues odyssey, ripping into cuts by The Sonics, Hank Williams and Fats Domino. Blues? Yes, but laid-down by a true rock'n'roller with an ear to the past, an eye on the horizon and set of chops that were out of this world!
February 17, 2015
The second of seven 2001-2002 albums from Drexciya's James Stinson—the releases were referred to as "storms"—this holds some of the late Detroit techno producer's brightest, smoothest-gliding, and most melodic tracks. The few aggressive moments hit almost as hard as early Drexciya. Reissued late last year on Tresor.
February 16, 2015
Judee Sill's 1971 debut sounds like a beautifully crafted but fairly ordinary Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter effort on the surface, but a look beneath the surface confirms she was a genuinely singular artist. Between the idiosyncratic mysticism of her lyrics, the subtly artful touches of the arrangements, the graceful drift of the melodies, and a worldview that embraced the earthly and the divine with equal fervor, Judee Sill was the first and finest salvo from an artist who was a visionary in the truest sense.
February 15, 2015
Capturing the quintessential garage rock band at just an average night in their hometown of Chicago, this archival live release will knock your head off. The band sounds raw and righteous but beneath the noise, they're pushing toward a psychedelic future they'd never quite embrace.
February 14, 2015
The debut album from guitarist Coryell's pioneering fusion band certainly would have blown a few minds in 1974. That the group's adroit, no-holds-barred mix of fuzzed-out acid rock, eastern-inflected modalism and expansive improvisation sounds all the more obvious today, only makes Coryell's original creative impulse all the more impressive.
February 13, 2015
Born at the center of the Venn diagram where the Tubes, Queen, and the Blue Oyster Cult meet, the Good Rats are a theatrical, rockin', and humorous band with that Long Island spirit coursing through their veins. This aptly titled effort features fan favorites like "Julie", but the sad news is that the mustached wonder and knockout frontman known as Peppi Marchello passed away in 2013. Also, listen for future Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick in one of his earliest recordings.
February 12, 2015
Boduf Songs' Mat Sweet has stealthily crafted a distinctive sound over the years, melding the bleakest parts of folk, electronic music and black metal into music that is equally vulnerable and formidable. As his 2013 album shows, this sound is also versatile: Here, Sweet turns up the beats and guitars, delivering slow-burning mechanical menace that should pique the interest of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails fans.
February 11, 2015
The first few Scorpions albums are absolutely worth revisiting for fans of early hard rock, as they are significantly removed from the stripped-down riff rock that the band would ride to success. Much how early Judas Priest albums like Sad Wings of Destiny were more progressive and diverse from what they would do in their arena years, an album like In Trance is a revelation if you've only heard their mega hits.
February 10, 2015
An inspired choice to supply this B-movie's theme song, the Dickies ably rose to the challenge with a sinister mix of carnival punk and glam metal on the brief, but highly infectious Killer Klowns EP.
February 9, 2015
The Swiss synth pop duo Yello remain vital on their later recordings, but their early LPs crackle with a wacky spirit that mellowed after they hit big with the track "Oh Yeah". This sophomore effort, from when they were still a trio, is a fine example of Yello at their bonkers best. The great "The Evening's Young" falls somewhere between the Residents and a spy film soundtrack, while the closing "Pinball Cha-Cha" is just what it says, a cha-cha song about pinball.
February 8, 2015
Long before electronic musicians found inspiration in Andrei Tarkovsky's film Stalker, these two pioneers collaborated in a series of investigations into it's most profound subtext: ambivalence about reality. This wash of sounds, spaces, sonic designs, drones and carefully designed atmospheres is among the most unsettling and compelling ambient recordings of all time.
February 7, 2015
There have been many great vocalists in the history of reggae, but simply put, Horace Andy is the best of them all. This absolutely essential collection features many of his best songs and biggest hits including Massive Attack's version of the title track. All of them feature his sweet, pleading from the heart vocals and top notch production.
February 5, 2015
Before joining wild Gypsy punkers Gogol Bordello, Russian-born accordionist Yuri Lemeshev donned crazy wigs and played manic solo sets for East Village brunchers, while also floating around the periphery of N.Y.C.'s downtown jazz scene. Lemeshev's flair for entertaining showmanship took a back seat to his consummate musicianship on this intimate, sensitive, and folky 1998 recording with downtown jazzers guitarist Brad Shepik and bassist Tony Scherr. Tridruga translates as "three friends," which aptly sums up the trio's warm camaraderie.
February 4, 2015
The fifth and final studio album from the Motherwell, Scotland-based alt-rockers, Universal Audio ditched the Dave Fridmann-induced bombast of 2002's Hate in favor of a steadier, more radio ready approach that helped illuminate the band's overall pop acumen. Check out the roaring single "Everybody Come Down" or indulge yourself in the glorious melancholia of "The City Consumes Us" if you want some feels.
![[Untitled]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0003686018/front/400/svp2t6ASqI8rJd-AbYOcCB_TZlp6n_cq-Emr2zx15tU=.jpg)
February 3, 2015
One of the finest albums for walking in the woods on a snowy day, the Icelandic band's wordless, nameless third record managed to rein in some of the bombast of its predecessor, resulting in an equally soothing and haunting collection of songs. It's a little long-winded at over 70 minutes, but the range displayed from the simple, elegant third track to the climactic, eruptive closer makes it worth the journey.
![The Master [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0003745213/front/400/9Gb8cgSSWHj4ccBCT9x2h4Af7E_1E-2MlBBPmPAXRBU=.jpg)
February 2, 2015
Jonny Greenwood's second collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson makes the most of the guitarist/composer's ambiguous, ambitious music. As its mood flits from reverent to dangerous to poignant, the score alternately showcases and destroys the seeming innocence of The Master's post-WW II setting. Dense, challenging and often transporting, this is one of the finest scores of the 2010s.
February 1, 2015
A heady mix of ornate chamber-pop and soaring alt-pop, the aptly-named second studio album from the Saul Bellow-inspired, Melbourne-based quintet is as detached and peculiar as it is maddeningly beautiful; a resplendent and highly lyrical blend of Village Green-era Kinks tempered with enough skewed Aussie grit to earn the band a headlining slot at the Thunderdome.