Staff Picks for February 2016
February 29, 2016
She drinks too much, she falls for the wrong man a lot of the time, she has a hard time separating love and lost, and she's not so good at forgetting the guys the ought to leave alone. Lydia Loveless knows how to write about these things, and sing those songs in a way that makes her passions and insecurities real and fascinating; her third album is as personal as a diary, and rocks with a glorious twang.
February 28, 2016
Though Marmoset's debut might be one of the more underrated indie albums of the '90s, its sound harks back to the '80s heyday of the Feelies, Mission of Burma, the Television Personalities and even Wire's later work. To the band's credit, none of these references capture the unique but still familiar sound they've crafted with these off-kilter yet engaging songs.
February 27, 2016
A punitive blast of blues-kissed, factory town rage, 1988's Birth, School, Work, Death predated the noughties alt-rock renaissance by just a few years, but had it hit at just the right time, riff-heavy gems like "If I Only Had Time," "Obsession" and the blue collar haymaker of a title track would probably have become ubiquitous stadium/sports highlight reel standard-bearers.
February 26, 2016
Necroticism ultimately is the crossroad between Carcass' seminal grindcore and their latter-day, more straightforward death metal. As such, it's one of their most interesting albums, if not one of their best, reflecting their past while foreshadowing their future.
February 25, 2016
Formed after the breakup of the Gories and before the rise of the Dirtbombs, Blacktop was a short lived Mick Collins project that was a 12-month run of bad luck according to the frontman, except for the strength of the music they left behind. I've Got a Baaad Feelin' About This: The Complete Recordings is rich, dark, and brooding where the Gories were sharp and trebly, and guitarist Darin Lin Wood and bassist Alex Cuervo gave this garage/rockabilly gumbo a powerful aural signature.
February 24, 2016
With the announcement that Chino and the guys are dropping their next album in April, it's time to revisit their back catalog. Between the ferocity of the first two and the experimental brutality of their more recent works, they released their best and most iconic album. Sixteen years later, it still sounds revolutionary. A few reminders of the glory: "Digital Bath," "Knife Prty," "Korea," and "Passenger," a duet with Tool's Maynard James Keenan.
February 23, 2016
A bulging horn of plenty filled with strong ale, stale bread, and "flesh from the beasts that stalk us in the night," the sophomore studio LP from the Finnish viking metal enthusiasts is a more cinematic affair than 2004's Battle Metal, employing narration, accordions, and massive choirs. This is what the Mead Hall DJ closes out the night with.
![Round Midnight [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001105780/front/400/Am1fEWfrea7Q3Hn4pIejBR_TZlp6n_cq-Emr2zx15tU=.jpg)
February 22, 2016
30 years after its release, Round Midnight remains one of the most evocative jazz films ever made, due largely to its star, saxophonist Dexter Gordon's presence, both on screen and on record. Produced by Herbie Hancock and featuring a bevy of names (many of whom also appeared on screen) including Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, and others, the film's soundtrack remains just as much a landmark and love letter to jazz's golden age.
February 21, 2016
Say what you want about the Red Rocker, but there's no denying the keen sense of pop songcraft he flashed on his standout sixth solo LP. While the Van Halen brothers wouldn't come calling for a few more years, Hagar managed to notch his first million-seller with Standing Hampton behind melodic rockers like "I'll Fall In Love Again" and "Can't Get Loose."
February 20, 2016
The Long Ryders were a couple decades too late for the golden era of folk rock and country rock, and a few years early for the alt-country and Americana explosion. They had to settle for being one of the strongest acts to come out of the Paisley Underground and making a few smart, heartfelt, and enduring albums; this four disc box set tells you everything you need to know about a great, underappreciated American band.
February 19, 2016
Uniquely of the '90s but still standing as a paragon of high-quality fusion, this 1994 debut of the hip-hopped jazz project led by Branford Marsalis features appearances by Maya Angelou, Roy Hargrove, Nils Lofgren, Kevin Eubanks, and many more. Highlights include "Breakfast @ Denny's," which makes for a groovy soundtrack to any meal.
February 18, 2016
British sampladelia collective Noonday Underground were sort of lumped in with trip-hop, but they had a much brighter, more swinging sound akin to a British version of shibuya-kei acts like Fantastic Plastic Machine, or a more focused, poppy version of the Avalanches. Their 2000 debut album Self-Assembly really should've been huge, but it didn't seem to make that much of a splash. Play "London" on repeat 20 times in a row and dance around your room.
February 17, 2016
Down to two original members, Dino Danelli and Felix Cavalierre turned jazz players including Alice Coltrane, Joe Farrell, Hubert Laws, and Ron Carter for assistance. The end result is a sprawling double album. It contains no singles, but it is an excellent exercise in jazzy pop-rock that holds up to repeated listening.
February 16, 2016
Recorded during one of the Grateful Dead's strongest periods, Bob Weir's 1972 solo debut featured basically all of his bandmates except for ailing organist Pigpen McKernan and launched seven future staples into the band's canon. In addition to becoming some of Weir's best-loved contributions, songs like "Playing in the Band" and "Cassidy" would become synonymous with the Dead concert experience over the next two decades.
February 15, 2016
Most trance music produced after 1995 is terrible, but the genre's early years had some highlights, back when the lines between trance, techno, ambient, and IDM were a lot blurrier. I can't guarantee that Union Jack's 1995 debut LP will resonate with anyone who wasn't into this stuff in the '90s, and the 10-minute downtempo spoken word title track will either sound deeply profound or utterly cheesy, but this is easily one of the best albums of its kind.
February 14, 2016
This established EWF as major-league, multi-platinum superstars. Fueled by gems ranging from the sweaty funk of "Shining Star" and "Yearnin' Learnin'" to the gorgeous ballad "Reasons" and the unforgettable title song, it has no dull moments and is the band's crowning achievement.
February 13, 2016
Various Artists
Tribute albums usually end up being incredibly tacky, but Dear Janet gets it right on the first try. Released by UK label Tin Angel Records last year, this collection of Janet Jackson covers keeps the spirit of the songs in tact, but gives them a low-fi slant. The compilation flew under the radar but features interpretations by some of indie-pop's finest including Angel Deradoorian of Dirty Projectors, Nicholas Krgovich of No Kids, Lake, tUnE-yArDs, High Places and Katie Eastburn of Young People.
February 12, 2016
In '83, Bowie "sold out" and went mainstream pop, horrifying diehard fans. As a kid, this was my first taste of Bowie and it remains my nostalgic favorite. It's not Ziggy, it wasn't recorded in Berlin, but it's fun, catchy, and contains three of the most well-known hits in modern music. Also, as a bonus, buried at the end are gems like "Cat People" and "Criminal World." Bowie even made the uncool cool.
February 11, 2016
Burning with the confrontational fire of legends like Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux, Savages' debut album borrows from and refreshes post-punk in equal measures. Singer Jehnny Beth is the band's lightning rod, but she's also versatile, shifting from feral to swooning as the mood strikes. Likewise, Savages' riveting presence makes each track magnetic, and whether they're riffing on hardcore, metal or pop, the results are unmistakable and unforgettable.
February 10, 2016
Red Sovine may have been the first to sing about those big rigs but for me, Red Simpson--who passed on January 8--is the king of Truck Driving Country. A running mate of Buck Owens associate--he penned several hits for the singer--Simpson borrowed the electrified train rhythm of the Buckaroos and married it to a single-minded devotion to the interstate. He wrote so many trucking songs he wound up with a whole Christmas album about them and when he tired of that, he did a concept album for the Highway Patrol. Both of those records are on this big Bear Family box, right alongside everything else Simpson cut for Capitol. Sometimes five discs is too much for an artist but I wish this box was twice as long.
February 9, 2016
This 2007 collection from the quirky Canadian folk-pop outfit led by the impossibly low baritone of Brad Roberts (the anti-Frankie Valli), Best of Crash Test Dummies touches on all of the band's albums, grabbing the strongest cuts and bringing them front and center. The anthology includes 1993's surprise smash "MMM, MMM, MMM, MMM," which would go on to become a karaoke staple for fractured jaw surgery patients the world over.
February 8, 2016
Eager to prove she was more than an eccentric schoolgirl reeling under the influence of David Gilmour's tutelage, Kate Bush fully seized the creative reigns on her fourth album, 1982's The Dreaming, and the results were utterly unique, a stew of addled folk and art rock seasoned with Bush's willful theatricality and bursts of lyrical and vocal fancy. Beautifully, fearlessly eccentric and deeply personal, this is the album Tori Amos has wished she could make since 1992.
February 7, 2016
Alter ego of current visual artist and recent Wheel of Fortune contestant Pamela Valfer, Kittycraft produced a handful of releases in the late 90s of sugary electronic pop. Released the legendary indie pop label March Records, Catskills is both Kittycraft's sophomore and final album, which is a shame since it is arguably her best.
February 6, 2016
Recovering from the unpopular Mobb Deep album Blood Money, group member Prodigy hooked up with longtime Mobb producer the Alchemist and stepped up his game with this great collaborative album. Best cut: "Mac 10 Handle" which takes a bit of the Geto Boys' "Mind Playin' Tricks on Me" and twists it into an N.Y.C. gangsta anthem.
February 5, 2016
Grafting the rootsy sound of King of America onto the ragged but forceful attack of Blood and Chocolate, 2004's The Delivery Man is one of Elvis Costello's best and most idiosyncratic rock & roll albums. Through the literacy of the lyrics sometimes runs up against the muscle and sweat of the music, this is an honestly remarkable set of songs, and the anything-goes spirit of these performances could have come from no other artist.
February 4, 2016
Overshadowed by David Bowie in life, Brett Smiley was overshadowed by in the afterlife by the same Dame, with word of Brett's January 8 death starting to spread just a day before Bowie's death. Smiley was one of many glam rockers who followed in Bowie's glittering footsteps, earning the endorsement of Rolling Stones svengali Andrew Loog Oldham in 1974. That was enough to get an album recorded but the swishing single "Va Va Va Voom" tanked and the record stayed unreleased until RPM excavated it in 2003. It's a delight: not as heavy as the Spiders From Mars but a spirited, sexy lark that isn't afraid to be silly. Take the time to seek it out.
February 3, 2016
With deep thoughts on his mind both musically and socio-politically, Shaw's 1970 solo debut crackles with tightly-wound energy and emotional immediacy. Inspired by the fusion of Bitches Brew, but pushing in his own soulful, harmonically rich, Afrocentric direction, Shaw delivered an album both of and far ahead of his time.
February 2, 2016
Influenced by tenor sax giant John Coltrane, Harper proceeded to mold a distinctly personalized sound awash with slight inferences of R&B and hard bop. Additionally, the saxophonist's melodic gifts come to the forefront throughout this often-invigorating studio date.
February 1, 2016
An undisputed, all-time classic. King Boy D and Rockman Rock boarded the last train to Trancentral, passed through neverending fields of sheep with steel guitars in their souls, and discovered the justified ancient sound of eternity. This isn't an album, this is one of mankind's greatest achievements.