Staff Picks for July 2022
July 31, 2022
Though best known for its iconic drinking songs, the central theme of this indispensable offering is the twin roles alcohol and secrets play in destroying romantic relationships.
July 30, 2022
After John Frusciante abruptly left the band in the Japan leg of their Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour, the Red Hot Chili Peppers cycled through several replacements before landing on former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro. This incarnation of the band produced 1995's One Hot Minute, a curious blend of the guitar funk the Peppers were known for with the metallic styling Navarro brought to the table. While not as popular as the albums that bookend this release, it still captures an interesting blend of styles during an interesting time in the band's history.
![Top Gun [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0001460151/front/400/Me6yGuHPE7VF3H8iK5dSyFWnbEN5fCjifro6xhIBuB4=.jpg)
July 29, 2022
Various Artists
The accompanying soundtrack to the classic '80s film features a mesmerizing collection of songs infused with beauty and mystique. The soaring and ethereal music makes you feel as if you're flying along with the pilots, gliding smoothly over vast stretches of ocean.
July 28, 2022
Sometime during the mid-'70s, a Las Vegas hustler corralled three high-school students, all between the ages of 15 and 17, along with a singer named Marvin Neros (who couldn't have been much older), and recorded a batch of dirty funk jams in one take. He then took the sessions to Hollywood and added horns, percussion, piano, and far-out synthesizer riffs, all played by anonymous studio musicians. What could've turned out to be the funk equivalent of the Shaggs instead ends up a totally bonkers, futuristic outsider soul record.
July 27, 2022
Oasis' 1994 debut was instrumental in sparking the Britpop boom of the mid-90s. Featuring brighter and more optimistic songs than the grunge and post-grunge that was popular at the time, Definitely Maybe set the stage for Oasis' rise to the top of the rock and roll world over their next two releases.
July 26, 2022
The final solo recording by this next-generation wall-of-sound architect before his death in 2018, his sixth album seems to draw influence from across the history of recorded pop music, but with a focus on Tin Pan Alley, the more nostalgic corners of the British Invasion (i.e., Davies and McCartney), '60s soul, and the wittier side of the singer/songwriter era (Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman). Nearly a decade in the making, it spans tributes to his departed mother and his sister ("Wendy" and "Sister Song") and his struggles with alcoholism ("Dirty Jim").
July 25, 2022
An exceedingly clever U.K. pop bard of the late-2000s, Eugene McGuinness turned in some of his best work on this eponymous 2009 album. "Knock Down Ginger" and "Crown the Clown" are prime examples of his master craft.
July 24, 2022
With tender tracks like "Just the Way You Are" and "Marry You," Bruno Mars' debut effort is a wholesome set that exudes warmth and soothes the heart. Its smooth melodies, earnest lyrics, and Mars' crooning vocals create a cozy ambience, and the sentimental collection is sure to get you in the feels.
July 23, 2022
Portland, Oregon-based space rockers Jessamine were among the first brilliant wave of output from Kranky Records, and one of the more form-oriented acts on the label in their early days. Their self-titled 1994 debut was a darkened daydream that took the kind of feel-good pop bands like Stereolab or Yo La Tengo were making at the time to a far cloudier and more pensive place.
July 22, 2022
At their best, Karl Wallinger's World Party grooved with an easy-enough vibe to lure AAA radio listeners but connected on a deeper level with the college crowd. This fine compilation is nothing if not concise, and while longtime fans might lament the omission of some faves, incoming ears will perk up and seek them out for themselves.
July 21, 2022
The fourth act in the band's sprawling series is the best to date, the perfect balance between the theatrics of the main mythology and Casey Crescenzo's masterful songwriting and imagination. Best experienced in one sitting like a stage play, this is an ideal entry point to the story and one that is guaranteed to deliver. If the first three tracks can successfully pull you in, strap in for the rest of this glorious indie drama.
![Six: The Musical [Studio Cast Recording]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0005159686/front/400/zmOenIwudazlX8PokbC52ipQg_7iAU1wjqLgK_xGXts=.jpg)
July 20, 2022
Six: The Musical reimagines Henry VIII's six wives as trending pop divas, lifting them from the depths of history and onto center stage. The playlist, made up of six individual numbers and three ensemble acts, is a sparkling "historemix" that transforms history into herstory, retelling the story of Henry VIII through the eyes of each queen. Filled with spirit, exuberance, and feminist energy, the album also pays homage to the pop queens of today, with songs like the Beyoncé-esque anthem "No Way" and the Adele-inspired ballad "Heart of Stone."
July 19, 2022
This post-Jellyfish combo featuring Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Eric Dover played on their prior outfit's power pop sensibilities while bringing a riffier, garage-driven mentality to their lean arrangements.
July 18, 2022
On their debut, the band offered a good balance between the forward-looking, "destroy everything" aggression of punk with a certain reverence for '60s beat and R&B. In an era that preached attitude over musicianship, they bettered the competition with good pop sense, strong melodies, and plenty of hooks that compromised none of punk's ideals or energy, plus youth culture themes and an abrasive, ferocious attack.
July 17, 2022
Producer Scott Herren's first album under the Prefuse 73 moniker took the increasingly futuristic sound of mainstream hip hop and R&B that was happening in the early 2000s to an entirely new cyborg universe. Beats, vocal samples, and original performances from guests like MF Doom, Aesop Rock, and Sam Prekop were all chopped and mangled beyond recognition, making for a wildly experimental yet still somehow tuneful new breed of beat-driven music.
July 16, 2022
Propelled by exhilarating tracks like "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer," Bon Jovi's breakout album is a pop-ified hard rock/metal triumph that amplified hair metal's popularity and catapulted the big-haired rockers to superstardom. With its anthemic melodies, riveting choruses, and soaring vocals, Slippery When Wet is a great medicine for angst, and it is sure to make you release your inhibitions and do lots of hair flips.
July 15, 2022
This 1994 release sees the Beastie Boys drawing from a wide array of genres while playing live instruments more than on previous albums. Just in time for the mid-90s punk revival, several songs are reminiscent of their roots as a punk band while songs like "Sure Shot" and "Sabotage" saw plenty of rotation on the radio and MTV.
July 14, 2022
As far as underrated goes, this album is at the top of the pack. A near-perfect blast of some of the catchiest, hooky late-2000s nostalgia-pop that you'll hear, the trio blends disco, Motown, and new wave with their energetic indie attack, resulting in a collection that sounds like a greatest hits set. Every song is good but start with "Never Forget You," "Saturday Night," and the title track to get sucked into the experience.
July 13, 2022
Though the first few Ozark Mountain Daredevil albums are remembered for their Southern rock chooglin', this album contains a few hidden gems from the songwriting and vocal contributions of drummer Larry Michael Lee whose style evokes more of a Laurel Canyon vibe. "From Time to Time" and the harmony-laden Doobie-bounce driven "If I Only Knew" serve as highlights among the harder rockin' cuts.
July 12, 2022
One of the most mindbending and most enjoyable microhouse documents, this anthologizes Jan Jelinek's 1999-2002 releases for Klang Elektronik, selecting two-thirds of the tracks from those four 12" EPs. A top-flight producer of dub-suffused electronic music that wipes away the home-listening/dancefloor divide, Jelinek more overtly targets the tiles here. It's not just the titles of tracks like "Live at the Sahara Tahoe, 1973" and "Farben Says: Love to Love You Baby" that indicate love for soul and disco (as well as a great sense of humor).
July 11, 2022
Janet Jackson's 1986 breakthrough album set records and sold millions, with the combination of Jackson's confident yet graceful performances and the punchy production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis defining the sound of mid-'80s pop. This was an album where seven of the nine songs were released as singles, and the material is so inspired that it aged surprisingly well despite its unshakable associations with a certain time.
July 10, 2022
An avowed film buff, bassist Charlie Haden married his love for the stark, hard-boiled vibe of film noir and the moody lyricism of West Coast jazz and with his Quartet West. It was an evocative sound that achieved a romantic, cinematic grandeur with 1992's Haunted Heart.
July 9, 2022
The first full-length release in a style that, like its close relatives hip-hop and techno, began as a 12-inch genre. The album laid much important groundwork for experimental junglists like Photek, Subtropic, and Goldie, with the styles more common rhythmic brashness informed by a bit of perspicacity, making for a measured, eminently listenable collection.
July 8, 2022
This was one of Mtume's '80s "sophisti-funk" projects, with a mix of socially conscious lyrics, love songs, and uptempo cuts, plus collective vocals and sparing production and arrangements. The title cut was a huge R&B hit, peaking at number two and even generating some crossover pop action. Mtume got two other R&B smashes, one in the Top 20, and the album proved one of his best.
July 7, 2022
Nearly 20 years and over 15 albums along, Kevin Barnes' psychedelic pop project was probably overdue for a live release in 2015. Although not really a singles collection, their first captures the equivalent of a highly charged night out with the band's best-known material and rollicking showmanship. A must for fans, those who enjoy the group but find some of their records a bit challenging to get through will want to give this one a spin. Platform shoes optional.
July 6, 2022
After a sound check (“Test, test, one, two...I disappointed my parents...two, two...testing...bad career choice...”), Maron knocks them cerebral on this, his Comedy Central label debut. Disguising his Spalding Gray-like monologue as a standup set -- and marking a lasting shift in his approach -- he deals with his fear of success and the thrill that comes with it, before touching upon all sorts of other neuroses.
July 5, 2022
Lunatic Harness marked Mike Paradinas' full embrace of the unrestrained rhythmic possibilities of jungle, and he managed to craft impossibly complex beat patterns matched only by the sheer emotion of the often heartbreaking melodies. Approaching its 25th anniversary, the album remains as jaw-dropping and life-changing as ever.
July 4, 2022
Released at the height of the American summer in 1964, All Summer Long represents the first step the Beach Boys took away from being a trendy pop band towards the more personal songwriting they'd perfect in just a few years on Pet Sounds. While there's still some spirited, rocking tunes about cars and the beach, Brian Wilson's inherent tenderness begins showing more clearly on these songs. The gleeful xylophones and flutes of the title track also hint at the expanded orchestral arranging that was soon to follow.
July 3, 2022
A gorgeous tour of the artists early songs, this Creed Taylor production featured orchestrations by Deodato and ace sidemen including Herbie Hancock and Airto.
July 2, 2022
A winsome and surprisingly sunny set from the Norwegian singer/songwriter in collaboration with Icelandic reggae combo Hjálmar.
July 1, 2022
The last in a series of "complete sessions" boxsets documenting the behind-the-scenes sounds that were taken from to create multiple Miles Davis albums, The Complete On the Corner sessions is among the most exciting. This six disc set is made up of recordings from between 1972 and 1975, all of which were edited into several of Miles' most controversial records. The swirling, minimal funk of On the Corner is the set's main focus, and hearing these hypnotic jams in full brings new clarity to the phase in Davis' career when he was turning aggressively away from jazz to try to create something completely new.