Staff Picks for July 2016
July 31, 2016
This live recording from the '50s included what would become classics for generations by the comedic musician. Strauss, Liszt, and Chopin are among the composers represented in musical parodies on the LP, which makes as good an introduction to the Dane as any later collection. The set closes with the unaccompanied "Phonetic Punctuation," a must-hear for the uninitiated.
July 30, 2016
Without question, the best dark drum'n'bass album of all time. Absolutely nobody else at the time was making breakbeats this sharp and deadly or basslines this bleak and disturbing. The slow/fast trickery of "I'm Loosing U" is still sneaky enough to catch anyone off guard. Unfortunately he's never been able to recapture the fury of his '90s work, but this album will survive the apocalypse.
July 29, 2016
Between a taster EP and new album set for the fall, it's time to revisit the pure pleasure of KT's 2004 UK breakthrough debut. Sweet, yearning, and simple, it features her biggest hits ("Suddenly I See" & "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree") alongside some pastoral gems ("Under The Weather," "Silent Sea," "Universe & U," "Other Side Of The World"). Her masterful songwriting, gorgeous voice, and optimistic attitude carry this collection, perfect for a warm summer night.
July 28, 2016
Anyone who loves the deep grooves of Donald Byrd or Mason's former employer, Roy Ayers, will immediately understand why this album's blend of funky fusion of progressive R&B is considered a masterpiece. At least four of its songs have become rare-groove club standards, and the title cut is an absolute monster. Catchy, funky, richly textured, and utterly joyous, Rhythm of Life is a huge reason the acid jazz movement came into being.
July 27, 2016
The Italian composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist's Blue Note debut stands in contrast with his better known early DJ sets. Featuring an organic jazz band -- that includes flugelhornist Fabrizio Bosso and saxophonist Daniele Scannapieco -- this album indulges his love of bossa, samba, vintage cool and European jazz, with all the classy swing and soul intact. Till Bronner adds his trumpet and smooth singing to "Sea And Sand."
July 26, 2016
Almost completely instrumental (except for the surprisingly smooth robot croon on "Le Soleil est Pres de Moi"), Premiers Symptomes offers a half-dozen tracks of beautiful, deliciously downtempo synth-pop. It's far more than just a compilation of substandard early material that works best for collectors, it takes its place right next to Moon Safari as another highlight of French electronica.
July 25, 2016
Much of the band's basic formula was in place right from their debut: Steve Kilbey's cool, detached vocals and slightly surrealistic lyrics combined with some outstanding pop hooks, nice harmonies, and layers of ringing guitar. The classic "Unguarded Moment" (arguably one of the greatest singles of the '80s) overshadows much of the material on the album, but there is really no shortage of great songs here.
July 24, 2016
On their second release, Rainbow not only avoid the sophomore jinx; they hit a home run. All six songs on the album are up there with anything the band has done, before or since. The playing has a very tight, colorful feel to it, which was lacking a bit on the first record. This album can legitimately be mentioned in the same breath as classic Deep Purple.
July 23, 2016
Lonesome and surprisingly comforting, the group's fourth studio album, Bright Morning Stars, offers up 13 meditations on love, life, and loss that fit right in with the trio's penchant for melding traditional folk songs and sea shanties with contemporary themes. It's a quiet but powerful collection of snowbound balladry that may be too subtle and unassuming for 21st century attention spans, which is a large part of its charm.
July 22, 2016
The electronic pioneer just released a critically-acclaimed autobiography and a 2-disc companion album of pre-Play milestones and songs that influenced his early years. What about everything after? His late '90s output may be his most iconic and recognizable, but his latter day LPs contain fantastic deep cuts. This is one such album, featuring "Lift Me Up," "Spiders," and an assortment of new wave-influenced gems that balance his electro-pop and pop-rock sides.
July 21, 2016
This "man-machine" sound -- real people playing real instruments live, though in an industrial, machine-like fashion -- is the essence of Fear Factory, and while Soul of a New Machine may have been the blueprint for this approach to metal, Demanufacture takes the approach a step further: same band, same idea, same production, same sound; better songs, better performances, better album, better reception
July 20, 2016
Part of Blue Note Records' 1997 Cover Series, this date showcases the guitarist and quartet performing Bob Marley's classic album track for track-- no mean feat. This smoking group -- rounded out by Calder Spanier and Kenny Brooks on saxophones and drummer Scott Amendola -- makes a seemingly indomitable task seem easy. They turn in an empathic read that is by turns steamy, hard grooving and soulful.
July 19, 2016
The Swedish outfit's self-produced fourth LP is a little wonder of bright, hooky pop with pleasantly moody undercurrents. The strange, sunny combo of "Walking In Your Footsteps" and "Glasgow" form the centerpiece of this solid outing.
July 18, 2016
This two-disc compilation makes a great case for Renegade Soundwave as the great lost English band of the late '80s and early '90s. Divided up between a vocal and instrumental (mostly) half, each disc is more or less chronological and succeeds on its own, and together they're nearly unstoppable. Hip-hop and dub were turned into massive industrial beats and stomps like few others could attempt.
July 17, 2016
Future Islands practically became a household name when Singles came out 2 years ago, and while their success is well-deserved, I still think their 2010 effort for Thrill Jockey is their best album overall. They still had a bit of the synth-punk sound of their early years, but the songs were much sharper, and Sam Herring had perfected his overwhelming roar of a voice.
July 16, 2016
The 2012 Mercury Prize winners sophomore studio long player is moody pastiche of moody, yet urbane indie rock and worldbeat-blasted ambient pop that suggests Mogwai by way of Peter Gabriel's Real World studios circa 1990. Both planetarium laser light show and art installation ready, Alt-j can go from icy, distant, and often excruciatingly beautiful to downright feral at the crack of a snare drum.
July 15, 2016
A rare example of a blues-rock band recording with a veteran blues artist not embarrassing themselves, this 1971 collaboration between John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat works because Canned Heat have the good sense to stay out of Hooker's way. Hooker 'n Heat (Infinite Boogie) sounds casual and informal, but Hooker cuts a commanding groove right out of the gate. When the band follows his lead, they deliver some excellent high octane boogie that culminates in a feral jam on "Boogie Chillun." A pairing where both sides bring out the best in one another.
July 14, 2016
Canada's version of Wyclef, rapper Kardinal Offishall is underappreciated in the U.S. and for no good reason. Executive produced by Akon with a Rihanna guest shot as well, Not 4 Sale is a great 2008 introduction to the artist as it skillfully jumps from infectious R&B/pop tunes to hard-hitting hip-hop and reggae numbers. Clipse, The-Dream, Estelle, and T-Pain drop by as well.
July 13, 2016
Although Roland Orzabal delivered two capable mid-90's LP's under the Tears For Fears moniker, the absence of founding partner and creative foil Curt Smith was easy to notice. When the two reunited for 2004's Beatlesque Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, it was a dazzling return to form akin to their 1989 classic, Sowing the Seeds of Love.
July 12, 2016
Nowhere near the sparkling, classicist guitar pop the Scottish group would make its bread and butter from the mid- '90s onward, 1989's A Catholic Education is a grungy, endearing fuzzfest. Rife with sludgy guitars and barely audible vocals, the results are mixed, but tracks like "Everything Flows," "Every Picture I Paint," and "Critical Mass," are as lyrical and swoon-inducing as anything the Fanclub would write in the decades to come.
July 11, 2016
In 1970, Phil Ochs asked the musical question, "What if Elvis Presley became Che Guevara?" Ochs's effort to fuse radical politics with first-era rock & roll puzzled his fans greatly, but this recording of his infamous "Gold Suit" concert at New York's most prestigious venue is full of powerful banter between artist and audience. And Ochs' high-speed charge through "Tape from California" alone makes this strikingly odd set worth worth hearing.
July 10, 2016
On their debut album, the duo's ability to create stark, echoed modern psychedelic masterpieces made itself apparent from the beginning. Notably, the band eschewed conventional percussion of any sort, relying on singer/guitarist Nelson's simple but effective guitar parts -- usually consisting of a series of a few notes, repeated in sequence and given reverb -- to carry the rhythm,
July 9, 2016
For the band's major-label debut. they enlisted Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos as producer, and it's a good match: while he doesn't impose too much of Franz's clockwork precision on the band, Kapranos reins in the Cribs' more shambling tendencies just enough to make the album their most listenable, and diverse, work yet.
July 8, 2016
At only 29 minutes and change, Bleeder goes by in a seeming blur the first time through. But there is simply so much going on in its ever-changing (never boring) musical landscape that it will likely take a dozen listens to fully absorb it all. Kurt Ballou's production adds to both the ambition and achievement of execution in Mutoid Man's attack, making Bleeder one of the best outsider metal albums of 2015.
July 7, 2016
Although the group's first three albums are generally considered their finest, there is a very strong case to be made for including Steel Pulse's Elektra debut in their core collection as well. True Democracy marks a return to more ideological subject matter, including the pointed "A Who Responsible?" and the exalted, infectious hit "Chant a Psalm."
July 6, 2016
Every time I hear "Black As Night," off The Frost's epically ass-kicking sophomore album, Through the Eyes of Love, I imagine it as the soundtrack to the "Battle of Castle Black," sequence of Game of Thrones. If anyone was ever more equipped to pen romantic anthems for bastard warriors, giants and wildling hordes, it was guitarist/vocalist, and future Alice Cooper collaborator, Dick Wagner. This album is pure Detroit swagger borne on dragon's wings and played with the tenacity of a hundred Michigan winters.
July 5, 2016
By the time John Fahey cut Days Have Gone By, Vol. 6 in 1967, the master of American Primitive Guitar was weaving elements of psychedelia and experimental music into work, though the results still sounded proudly out of step with the modern day. The rich, resonant sound of Fahey's guitar is a perfect match for these songs, spare and sometimes discordant but always evocative. And his long, contemplative interpretation of "My Shepherd Will Supply My Needs" is a thing of striking beauty.
July 4, 2016
After being delayed nearly a year and a name change, Kid Sister's debut LP was a bit of a let down that never really took off the way it was expected upon release. Part of this was to do with the fact that a large portion of the tracks on the album were from singles that were released years prior. In retrospect though, it's a solid collection of the party rap jams she's known for, including her collaboration with Kanye West on "Pro Nails" and production by A-Trak.
July 3, 2016
Seventeen years after their breakup, the group's sixth long-player offers up an 11-track tour de force that's as visceral, inventive, and grotesque as Symphonies of Sickness, yet infused with the dense, machine-shop precision and chrome veneer of 21st century metalcore.
July 2, 2016
If you thought bringing back Slash and Duff meant Axl was giving up on Chinese Democracy, you were mistaken. Instead, Axl dug in his heels and has found a way to get the old Guns to play several of its tracks live, so there's no use in hiding from them. Of particular note are the searing, sincere ballad "This I Love," the gradiose "Prostitute," and the gear-changing "Street of Dreams."
July 1, 2016
Founded by Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz and Amery Smith of Suicidal Tendencies and Uncle Slam, BS 2000 was long distance side project for its two members. Simply Mortified, which was the final release on Grand Royal, takes the short break beat experiments of their first self-titled record and expands them into more traditional song structures.