Staff Picks for November 2019
November 30, 2019
Leona Naess' sophomore release is a showcase for her mix of subtle, breathy vocals over electronic-tinged pop songs, acting much like a continuation of her debut Comatized. The upbeat bounce of "Mayor of your Town" is offset by the bedroom acoustic dreamlike ambiance of "Sunny Sunday" and "Promise to Try," alternating between enthusiastic peaks and dewy-eyed valleys.
November 29, 2019
Saxophonist Art Pepper's career was in its final comeback phase in 1979 when he accepted producer John Snyder's invitation to record an album on his fledgling Artists House label. A West Coast jazz star in the '50s, Pepper had suffered from bouts with drug abuse and subsequent incarceration that left him largely marginalized by the '70s. However, after going through rehab and meeting his wife and manager Laurie Pepper, he enjoyed a fruitful late-career resurgence. It is that resurgent period that is showcased on Omnivore's superb 2019 anthology Promise Kept: The Complete Artists House Recordings.
November 28, 2019
Assuming a new identity, Coldplay tapped into the international music scene with some famous friends from around the world, moving way past the bounds of their typical sound. In the lead up to their November double album release, Everyday Life, this EP offered clear hints at the directions Chris Martin and co. were heading. A short four songs, the standout is "E-Lo" with Pharrell and Jozzy.
November 27, 2019
The unlikely excellence of a pre-teen post punk star is captured in full on this collection of all known recordings from Chandra. Daughter of art world parents, the young songwriter was able to make several tracks of intense and paranoid no wave in the early '80s. All of those songs hold up, with a jittery energy still hard to match 40 years later.
November 26, 2019
The lesson to take away from this recording is to never try to guess what Neil Young is going to do next. After following his string of folky acoustic albums with a series of amplified rock records, next came Trans with its unexpected chirping electronics and synthesized robot voices. Fans and the label alike were baffled by this uncharacteristic release, but as decades have passed, the album sounds winkingly futuristic and fits into his canon perfectly.
November 25, 2019
The first solo outing from the Miracle Fortress frontman finds the Montreal musician slimming down to an invitingly minimalist electronic palette, resembling at times, the warm melancholia of Arthur Russell and the Blue Nile.
November 24, 2019
After coming up a winner on his 2014 album, Physical World, Bart Davenport stuck to the formula of mixing relaxed soft rock with sophisticated '80s pop on his next transmission. This time fronting a band called Bart & the Bedazzled, Davenport doubles down on the smoothness and sophistication, while cutting the tempos and adding a synthy sheen to most of the songs.
November 23, 2019
On her debut album, the Aussie singer/songwriter skillfully laced elements of alternative country-rock and early rock into haunting indie folk vignettes. Smoky vocals, discontent, and a presence that was mature beyond her twenty-something years suffused the album with the character of a life hard-lived, a trait she took to the next level on her 2019 follow-up.
November 22, 2019
The program locates the intellectual origins of the American avant-garde composers Morton Feldman and John Cage in the music of Erik Satie. At the beginning is Feldman's 1967 masterpiece Rothko Chapel. The album reflects local roots for the Houston Chamber Choir (the Rothko Chapel resided there), a solid regional ensemble hitherto hardly suspected capable of the heights they achieve here.
November 21, 2019
The first solo album from Jamie Teasdale (formerly of dubstep duo Vex'd) pulled together strands of Vangelis film scores, footwork, trap, and Balearic pop, resulting in something magical and futuristic. Nearly a decade on, nobody else has really nailed this balance of cinematic suspense and dancing-on-air rhythmic precision, and the album is regarded as an ahead-of-its-time cult classic in some circles.
November 20, 2019
Deerhunter's fifth album may have been their creative summit, perfectly blending their gifts for melody and abstraction. Far less experimental or abrasive than what came before, the songs drift hazily through themes of nostalgia and blurry memories, mirrored sonically by dreamy guitar pop and some of their most high-impact production.
November 19, 2019
A large-scale choral work inspired by sacred music, it brings together ideas drawn mainly from Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, embodied in rhythms and chants from those sources. This performance by the Choir of the Temple Church of London, the Holst Singers, and the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Stephen Layton, emphasizes the ethereal and otherworldly aspect of the score, and the resonant acoustics of the Temple Church give the singers and instrumentalists an aural halo that suggests the spirituality of the ancient texts and evokes their remoteness in time.
November 18, 2019
Anybody wondering what happened to Tom Waits after Frank's Wild Years or Radiohead after OK Computer need look no further than Norway's Kaizers Orchestra. While they remain true to their penchant for Tin Pan Alley nightmare music, the 12 cuts that inhabit Maestro veer wildly from genre to genre, taking bits and pieces of punk, folk, funk, jazz, and rock and shredding them to bits.
November 17, 2019
Neko Case has made consistently dark and tuneful albums throughout her career and Middle Cyclone is a terrific showcase of her arresting lyricism and lush instrumentation. Highlights include the bittersweet "Magpie to the Morning" and a pleading and stomping cover of Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me."
November 16, 2019
Obituary's reunion album wasn't only a surprise because of the long absence, but also because it's so darn good, up there with the best the band ever recorded, even in their heyday. Clocking in at a brisk ten songs in 35 minutes, it's a perfect Obituary album. Nearly 15 years later, "Redneck Stomp" still often serves as the band's live show-opener.
November 15, 2019
A classic of the modern jazz avant-garde, this is the purest, most accessible showcase for the guitarist’s bold, genre-clashing guitar vision. With minimal trio accompaniment -- drummer Warren Benbow and violinist Charles Burnham--Ulmer's guitar’s unique tuning (developed for this album) allows him to cover bass parts as well as leads. There is a conscious emphasis on the smoother tones of Burnham's amplified violin, often fed through a wah-wah pedal. Highlights include, “Church,” "Love Dance" and Swing & Things.”
November 14, 2019
For the project's third album, Ian Broudie wrote his strongest batch of songs yet and managed to return to the Top 20 of the U.K. album chart. Songs like "Lucky You," "Perfect," and "Change" (which received some recognition in the States due to its inclusion in the movie Clueless), were all modern pop gems that arrived at the height of Brit-pop.
November 13, 2019
When they first burst onto the indie scene at the tail end of the '80s, Superchunk sounded like the greatest practitioners of chainsaw pop since the Buzzcocks invented the stuff. This collection of their early singles sides still delivers a sharp, glorious kick with smart lyrics, abundant energy, some epochal originals (especially the classics ""Seed Toss"" and ""Slack Motherfucker"") and some inspired covers (Sebadoh AND the Shangri-La's!). Essential and good noisy fun.
November 12, 2019
Issued on Cadet in 1970, this is no ordinary jazz vocal album. It is exotic, mysterious, laid-back, and full of gentle grooves and soul. Time and space are suspended and new dimensions open up for anyone willing to take this killer little set on and let it spill its magic into the mind canal through the ears.
November 11, 2019
The debut LP from Nashville-by-way-of-Finland's Ville Kiviniemi (aka the Mattoid), Hello evokes an unholy union of the Velvet Underground, Laibach, Andrew W.K., and Elvis Presley. Utilizing his own signature guitar style called "Sango" -- apparently so subtle and complex that it's inaudible to the human ear -- the Mattoid makes even the smallest rock sound like a mountain.
November 10, 2019
After a period of self-doubt and tabloid overload, the queen of aughts-pop reemerged with a dancefloor assault that fell somewhere between the perfection of Kylie's Fever and Madonna's Confessions. Celebrating its twelfth birthday, the set is stacked with monster jams that keep the party going, the sweat flowing, and the energy through the roof. A standout example of Britney at her peak.
November 9, 2019
The band took a turn toward country rock on their self-produced third album, mixing down home ballads with their usual array strutting rockers and good time covers. This time around they stretch Little Richard's "Keep a' Knockin'" into a ten minute long jam and, oddly enough, deliver a faithful cover of Melanie's "Lay it Down."
November 8, 2019
The one-time Riker's Island inmate raps of black politics and culture, while finding plenty of room for whimsical observations and some fine vocal flow. Producer Marley Marl of Biz Markie and Big Daddy Kane fame provides the beats and production in fine style: layered, lean, and dope. If you like you old school cuts in the sophisticated Gang Starr and Markie mode, then this collection of hip-hop gold will no doubt be welcome.
November 7, 2019
One of the best and most popular blues artists of the '40s and '50s, Charles Brown was the master of polished nightclub blues, making music suitable for dancing as well as various types of canoodling. This collection of twenty tracks Brown cut for Aladdin Records in his heyday offers a heaping portion of his rich, emotive vocals and formidable piano work, and is easily the best single-disc introduction to his music.
November 6, 2019
Brutal and fast death-metal with twisted double-tracked vocals from Kam Lee, resulting in a cross between Mercyful Fate and Death. The deadliest of death-metal always comes from Florida, and this is no exception.
November 5, 2019
Emptyset started out making minimal techno rather than conceptual experimental music, and their first full-length is far more rhythmic than their later albums, yet it still seems like a stretch to call it dance music. There aren't too many elements to these carefully constructed tracks, but they're so diseased and disorienting that they feel monstrously heavy at times.
November 4, 2019
Deep into his soulful jazz-rock period, John Martyn dissects his crumbling marriage to former musical partner, Beverly Martyn, on this personal, sometimes mournful, but occasionally slinky and sizzling set. Among the album's many charms are the very tasteful rhythm battery of bassist John Giblin and drummer Phil Collins.
November 3, 2019
Recorded live in 2018 during Batiste's residency at the storied NYC-venue, Anatomy of Angels finds the pianist displaying his fluid jazz chops alongside his longtime Stay Human bandmates bassist Philip Kuehn and drummer Joe Saylor. As the high-profile bandleader on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Batiste has often showcased his eclectic funk, R&B, and even pop influences. Here, he shifts to a more traditional jazz sound that evokes his deep New Orleans roots and passion for the music of innovative bebop pianist Thelonious Monk.
November 2, 2019
Spain's moody and atmospheric small combo pop is longingly laid out on their second album. Josh Haden's languid and breathy vocals recline over piano and acoustic guitar-based melodies that simply drift through the air with no sense of urgency, making for a warmly embracing listen.
November 1, 2019
After decades of horrendous luck and years out of the music business, the career resurgence of legendary jazz vocalist Little Jimmy Scott in the '90s was as unexpected as it was welcome. While it doesn't top his 1962 masterpiece Falling In Love Is Wonderful, 1992's All The Way showed his years away from the spotlight did nothing to dull his talent, and these slow, achingly emotive performances are glorious and mesmerizing, the work of a truly singular artist.