This Week’s New Releases & Staff Picks – 12/1/17
STAFF PICKS
Kimber – The Wedding Present
Lindsay – Wilco reissues
Dario – Dancehall comp
Dominic – Chris Stapleton
THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES
Van Morrison – Versatile CD/2xLP+MP3 (Legacy)
Following the success of his 37th studio album Roll With The Punches, Van Morrison returns in the same calendar year with his 38th. While Roll With The Punches saw Van revisit many of the definitive rhythm and blues records that have stayed with him all his life, the Belfast Cowboy’s latest album sees him delve further back into recorded music’s archives to interpret some of the 20th century’s greatest vocal jazz standards. Across Versatile’s 16 tracks, Van interprets some of the very building blocks of modern music in his own utterly unique style. As well as songs originally made famous by the likes of Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, The Righteous Brothers, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole, Versatile features six new Van compositions, including “Broken Record” – a timeless piece of late-night swing.
Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 2 (the follow-up to From A Room: Volume 1 which was released earlier this year) takes its name from Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A (the capital “A” in From A Room) where it was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb. Along with Stapleton on vocals and guitar and Cobb on acoustic guitar, the album features Morgane Stapleton on harmony vocals as well as longtime band-members J.T. Cure on bass and Derek Mixon on drums. In addition to seven songs co-written by Stapleton, the album features versions of Kevin Welch’s “Millionaire” and the Homer Banks/Lester Snell-penned song made famous by Pops Staples, “Friendship.”
STRFKR – Vault Vol. 1-3 3xCD (Polyvinyl)
STRFKR – Vault Vol. 3 LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
A collection of rare, previously unreleased songs that up until now have never been heard by anyone except STRFKR. The band only exists today because of these recordings. Some of these songs were written for STRFKR albums, some were written before or in-between, but they all played a role and influenced what was released under that name. [Limited colored vinyl pressing of the single-disc Volume 3 also available.]
Songs Of Experience is the companion release to 2014’s Songs Of Innocence – the two titles drawing inspiration from a collection of poems Songs Of Innocence And Experience by the 18th century English mystic and poet William Blake. While Songs Of Innocence charted U2’s earliest influences and experiences in the late- ‘70s and early- ‘80s, Songs Of Experience is a collection of songs in the form of intimate letters to places and people close to Bono’s heart. [The CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds four bonus tracks and expanded packaging. Also available: A Deluxe colored vinyl edition featuring three bonus tracks as well as a Super Deluxe box set featuring blue colored 180gm vinyl, a copy of the Deluxe CD, a fold-out poster, and a 12-page newspaper housed in a laminated cyan blue rigid box.]
A lightning-flash collection of all-time classic and definitive dancehall classics as well as a stellar selection of more obscure tracks. Featuring Yellowman, Tenor Saw, Sister Nancy, Ini Kamoze, Chaka Demus & Pliers, Michigan & Smiley, Super Cat, Cutty Ranks, Eek-A- Mouse, Gregory Isaacs and more, this album features non-stop floor-filling party tune rockers throughout.
The Wedding Present – Marc Riley Sessions Volume 2 CD/LP+CD (Hatch)
Long time favorites of the late, great John Peel, David Gedge and his band appeared regularly on that legendary presenter’s BBC Radio 1 show and have continued their association with ‘Auntie’ by performing many unforgettable sessions on the popular Marc Riley Show on BBC Radio 6 Music.
Wilco – A.M. [Reissue/1995] CD/2xLP (A&M)
Wilco – Being There [Reissue/1995] 5xCD/4xLP (A&M)
Digitally remastered reissues of Wilco’s first two albums. A.M. has been expanded with eight unreleased bonus tracks that feature an early version of “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” and “When You Find Trouble,” which is the last studio recording made by Uncle Tupelo. The Deluxe reissue of Being There includes 15 bonus tracks released for the first time, including alternate versions of tracks “I Got You” and “Say You Miss Me.” It also features Wilco’s 20-song performance at the Troubadour from November 12, 1996, combining songs from A.M. and a few Uncle Tupelo tracks. Also included are four songs the band played on radio station KCRW on November 13, 1996.
Cindy Wilson – Change CD/LP (Kill Rock Stars)
After 40 years as one-third of the creative core of the B-52s, Cindy Wilson steps out with her own solo album. A collaboration between Wilson and friends and Athens musicians Ryan Monahan, Lemuel Hayes, Suny Lyons, and Marie Davon, Change marks a significant departure from Wilson’s other band. With echoes of Air, Bjork, Tame Impala, and Gary Numan, the band refers to its infections brand of new-wave electro-pop as Turbo Chill. Rather than shouting in a rock voice, on Change Wilson gets to experiment with more emotional, subtle vocalizations, crooning and whispering over swirls of subtle psychedelia, Quincy Jones-era strings, and pulsing synths.
Neil Young + Promise Of The Real – The Visitor CD/LP (Reprise)
When Neil Young entered Shangri La Studio with the band Promise Of The Real a few months ago, there were a lot of images and feelings careening around his soul. The country was heading in a direction Young had never seen, even though up until then he thought he’d seen it all. But something different was happening, and it had gotten inside his music. . By the end of the recording sessions, he knew he’d made his most diverse album going all the way back to Harvest in 1972, when America was also in the throes of becoming unhinged. Neil Young didn’t blink then, and he is not blinking now.
Cursive – Such Blinding Stars [Reissue/1997] LP (15 Passenger)
Cursive–The Storms Of Early Summer: Semantics Of Song [Reissue/1998] LP (15 Passenger)
Cursive’s debut album has been repressed on limited edition blue vinyl. Their second album, The Storms Of Early Summer: Semantics Of Song, has been remastered and is now available on vinyl for the first time in the US. Limited clear with smoke colored vinyl pressing.
Talib Kweli – Radio Silence 2xLP (Javotti Media)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. The Brooklyn hip-hop artist’s new album features guest appearances from Rick Ross, Anderson .Paak, BJ The Chicago Kid, Waka Flocka, Jay Electronica, Robert Glasper, Bilal, Yummy Bingham, Amber Coffman and Myka 9; stellar production courtesy of The Alchemist, Oh No, Kaytranada, J. Rhodes and Robert Glasper.
Max Richter – Black Mirror: Nosedive [Score] LP (Deutsche Grammophon)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Richter’s powerfully emotional score mirrors the film’s bleak but dream-like quality, where anxiety lurks constantly beneath the surface, underlining the mood of what is, essentially, a tragi-comedy.
NEXT WEEK’S NEW RELEASES