Staff Picks for June 2013
June 30, 2013
Sure, it lacks the sassy punk attitude of the Go-Go's, but Belinda Carlisle's solo debut is still a great mainstream pop record that successfully showcases everything fun, sexy and charming about her. As the lead-single "Mad About You" proved, Belinda is always worth at least three minutes of your time.
June 29, 2013
If a George Benson tribute to Nat King Cole comes as a surprise, it shouldn't. Benson's and Cole's careers are remarkably similar, both becoming known first as instrumentalists before reaching the pop mainstream because of their voices.
June 28, 2013
Not exactly a lost Brazilian classic -- it almost was since its initial pressing in 1975 was lost in a fire - -but a timeless one. This set appeared after the first wave of tropicalia; it and those innovations, Brazilian folk and pop, colored them with psychedelia. The sum total is an acid-drenched masterpiece.
June 27, 2013
A footnote to a footnote in the history books of freak rock, Sproton Layer was a weird cousin of the late 60's Ann Arbor scene featuring pre-Mission of Burma Roger Miller and members of a young Destroy All Monsters. Their output didn't amount to much more than this album and some other recordings, but the band achieves a unique mix of proggy paranoia and hippie absurdity.
June 25, 2013
Often, I like to take it easy in the morning and, for me, this means starting my day with a bit of prime soft rock. Lately, the pre-MTV LP that's been my go-to morning record is Marty Balin's Balin, a time capsule of pre-MTV AOR. The hit was "Hearts," a sleek and sticky piece of soft pop, but elsewhere it rocks...not as hard as Red Octopus, but certainly enough to hold its own with medium-octane REO Speedwagon. And there are weird moments, too--the almost New Wave-ish "Lydia!" (it almost sounds like Donnie Iris!) and "Elvis And Marilyn," two icons of the '0s that "never fell in love" and likely would never have felt comfortable with this very '70s SoCal salute.
June 24, 2013
This Colchester act debuted on 4AD with a gnashing hybrid of fellow post-punk bands Siouxsie and the Banshees, Magazine, Joy Division, and Bauhaus. Gnashing, acidic songs like "Gathering Dust" and earlier A-side "Swans on Glass" provided no hints that they were inching toward the strummy and romantic sing-a-long "I Melt with You."
June 23, 2013
Ray Manzarek was a noted fan of film noir, so it should come as no surprise that both the movie and soundtrack for Love Her Madly follow that dark shadowy tradition while doing an admirable job injecting electronica and techno into the musical mix. Manzarek and film composer Bruce Hanifan approach the score knowing that it should not only enhance what's on the screen but also provide an enjoyable listening experience sans visuals. Former Doors member Robby Krieger plays guitar on the session.
June 22, 2013
After many delays, once the rap duo's sophomore album was released in 2006, it was a critically acclaimed smash. Of course, with Pusha T. and Malice dropping street-smart rhymes over sparse, crooked beats courtesy of The Neptunes, the stars were fully aligned for this one. "Cock-a doodle-doo!".
June 21, 2013
During the glory days of the Sunset Strip sleaze, Tom Keifer lead Cinderella, the bluesiest and toughest band of the bunch. Now, nearly 20 years after the group's last album, Keifer has resurfaced with his solo debut The Way Life Goes and it's a hell of a record: a weathered, bluesy, soulful collection from a hard rock troubadour who has been through some serious turmoil and is living to sing about it all.
June 20, 2013
A charming collection of songs from the pair of Velvet Underground titans, and one of the most complementary works they ever participated in together.
June 19, 2013
Fully harnessing the power of their massive, sludgy sound, Kylesa's sixth album finds the band adding new levels of melody and atmosphere to their monolithic metal, capping off a decade long evolution with master class in heavy psychedelia.
June 17, 2013
With a magnetic personality to match his fat trumpet tone, Terumasa Hino was a jazz star in 60s,'70s and '80s Japan. His 1979 fusion-heavy release City Connection showcased a melody-centric pop-R&B sensibility that still left plenty of room for funky, swaggering post-bop improvisation.
June 16, 2013
On this 1982 release, London punks the Ruts begin to go post-punk and with some help from Jamaican dub producer Neal Fraser aka Mad Professor. Listeners who like it when the Clash went reggae or enjoy the more adventurous side of dub are likely fall in love with this one.
![Weezer [Blue Album]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0003706405/front/400/gAnxFijgnkORsT8F62T39x_TZlp6n_cq-Emr2zx15tU=.jpg)
June 15, 2013
The Blue Album helped '90s alt-rock moved on from grunge's implosion, but it's most memorable for its great songs -- not just the singles but the deep cuts, which show Rivers Cuomo and company at their most vulnerable.
June 14, 2013
One of the more highly regarded documents from the Los Angeles hardcore punk scene of the early 1980's, Fear's blisteringly dumb and brilliantly executed debut sounds like it crawled out of the sewer, stole somebody's bike, robbed a liquor store (for the liquor) and passed out on the hood of a cop car.
June 13, 2013
In 1983, when new romantic pop, and hardcore punk were all in full flower, this Brit band and their gorgeous neo-prog debut brought the music back up for debate. Displaying unashamed technical flair in both musicianship and production, it is one of the most enduring, emotionally resonant recordings in genre history.
June 12, 2013
After some piecemeal lo-fi releases that seemed more like Pavement side-project material, David Berman's Silver Jews found their legs on 1996's bleak and idiosyncratic The Natural Bridge. Outlandish poetic imagery and faux-country indie songs made for a statement of both heartbreak and obscure weirdness.
June 11, 2013
Celebrating their 13th anniversary with their 13th album, the 13-track 13, in February 2013, Belgian big band FES fracture Scott Joplin, excerpt an "existential variety farce," and soundtrack the 1940 Soviet film Experiments in the Revival of Organisms. In other words, all is well in the crazy world of FES.
June 10, 2013
Known most for his work with James "D Train" Williams, this inventive and undervalued keyboardist can also be heard on scores of R&B and jazz releases from the '70s and '80s, including this one -- his lone solo album. Supported by long-term comrades James Mtume, Reggie Lucas, and Howard King, it glows with fleet jazz-funk and easy soul.
June 9, 2013
Ridin' With Panama Red combines NRPS originals "Panama Red," and "Watcha Gonna Do" with a few rock and roll favorites, including live versions of Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou," and the Rolling Stones "Dead Flowers." Fans of the Grateful Dead's overt country material will find this a welcome addition to their collection.
June 8, 2013
Gainsbourg's early stuff seems tame compared to the racy, heavy breathing in "Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus," but even when he tried to play it straight, his take on exotica and bossanova was pretty off-beat. Fun fact: Dan The Automator appropriated the cover art on Lovage: Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By.
June 7, 2013
Lost in the shuffle of the 20th Anniversary of the Breeders' Last Splash is the 20th Anniversary of Black Francis renaming himself and releasing Frank Black. In many ways, his 1993 solo debut was of piece with Pixies' farewell Trompe Le Monde. Perhaps the guitars weren't as loud but the carnivalesque pop certainly bears the influence of Eric Drew Feldman, the Pere Ubu keyboardist who helped color TLM and was now Black Francis' main collaborator. Frank Black might be a little messy for its own good but, 20 years later, that's what appeals: he was stretching his legs and lungs after Pixies and he came up with some prime power pop.
June 6, 2013
A collection of early home demos from the Sebadoh frontman, warts and all.
June 5, 2013
She discovered Elvis, started Sun records and made amazingly well-crafted modern pop...what a career! This might be her best record and "Baby, I Can't Please You" - 3.5 minutes of cold hard truth wrapped in a shiny, Beatles-y package - is probably her best song.
June 4, 2013
Hugely successful at the time, but somewhat overlooked today, Icehouse's 1987 album Man of Colours mixed the smooth side of David Bowie with the synthy melodicism of '80s Roxy Music. "Crazy,"and the romantic anthem "Electric Blue" are immediately infectious classics of the era that have aged much better than lead-singer Iva Davies' poodle-mullet.
June 3, 2013
While they started with a sound more indie and industrial, Scotland's Fini Tribe evolved into a rave-minded synth-pop act with their aptly titled album An Unexpected Groovy Treat. Fans of the Shamen, Stereo MC's, and acid house should jump right to the classic "101" which appears here in an Andrew Weatherall remix.
June 2, 2013
Released at the height of the '90s lounge craze, this comp contains many of the bandleader's most audacious songs, all of which are much zanier than standard easy listening fare from the '50s and '60s.
June 1, 2013
The 1991 major label debut from the Boston-based alt-rockers may have failed to connect outside of the Eastern seaboard, but gamers who played the hell out of 2007's Rock Band likely found themselves air drumming along to the brilliant "Outside," which snuck its way into the game via founding members (and ex-Tribe alums) of Rock Band/Guitar Hero developer Harmonix.