November 23, 2016 —

This Week’s New Releases & Staff Picks – 11/23/16

STAFF PICKS

kimber – sharon jones
lindsay – thee oh sees, sharon jones
dario – thee oh sees
jeff – new orleans funk
dominic – new orleans funk

THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES
Terry Dolan – Terry Dolan CD/LP+MP3 (High Moon)
A masterpiece of early- ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll – previously unreleased. Produced (and played on) by keyboard legend Nicky Hopkins (Rolling Stones, The Kinks) and British session ace Pete Sears (Rod Stewart), Terry Dolan is the missing link between the ecstatic, guitar-driven sound of the San Francisco ballroom scene and the increasingly expansive feel of the west coast singer/songwriters. With a collection of simple but powerful songs, the album captures Terry’s dual nature; an East Coast folkie with a penchant for soul-stirring rock ‘n’ roll. Featuring epic guitar duels intertwining with driving piano and organ, it anticipated the jam band genre by twenty years. “A historic gem — incredible that WB left it on the vine. This is the one that might have sealed his reputation.” — David Fricke (Rolling Stone)
 
His Name Is Alive – Patterns Of Light CD/LP (London London)
Having been invited to perform at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland by one of the scientists, HNIA spent a year studying particle physics and then created Patterns Of Light. The scientist, Dr. James Beacham, was asked to “fact check for bad data, misquotes, dragons, pseudoscience and to make sure the witchcraft to physics ratio wouldn’t be too embarrassing,” he agreed and soon sent pages of notes, screenshots, event displays and also recommended books and videos. Patterns Of Light is the result of this exchange of information.
 
Jack Lee – Bigger Than Life CD/LP (Alive)
Fab collection from enigmatic singer/songwriter (ex-The Nerves) — 23 solo cuts including his 1976 classic “Hanging On The Telephone,” later a hit for Blondie.
 
Nouvelle Vague – I Could Be Happy CD (Kwaidan)
Nouvelle Vague’s I Could Be Happy adds the novelty of self-written tunes to the band’s usual relaxed covers from superior rock and pop catalogues. Songs from The Ramones, The Cure and others get radical makeovers. Four originals in three languages in the band’s familiar styles close out the album. [Vinyl edition due December 9].
 
Radian – On Dark Silent Off CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)
Recent. “Over the course of their first four albums, Radian perfected a painterly approach to sound construction. What makes the instrumental Austrian trio exceptional is its ability to wrest seemingly endless possibilities by fine-tuning the grain of every sound. On their fifth album On Dark Silent Off, Radian take the tactile dimension of their music even further while also introducing groove and drama basically for the first time. On Dark Silent Offbristles with a passion that you don’t hear on their back catalog. It’s not like past Radian records are stiff, but the band always sounded slightly removed as it supplied you with a constant flow of sensory input. This time, they connect with your heart too.” [8.0] — Pitchfork
 
Various Artists – New Orleans Funk: The Original Sound Of Funk Vol. 4 CD/2xLP+MP3 (Soul Jazz)
Subtitled Voodoo Fire In New Orleans. Volume four of this crate-digging excursion into the Crescent City vaults delves deep into the roots and history of the voodoo world of New Orleans funk and as ever features a stellar selection of killer rare funk and soul. The album is jam-packed with serious break-heavy funk tunes from classic New Orleans artists including Eddie Bo, Betty Harris, Dave Bartholomew, Johnny Adams and Eldridge Holmes (with the ever-present Allen Toussaint and The Meters as always behind the scenes), and more.
 
Martha Wainwright – Goodnight City LP+MP3 (PIAS America)
“Canadian singer/songwriter Martha Wainwright considers her fourth solo album and seventh studio record, Goodnight City, to be a turning point in her musical career and emotional state alike. “Most [of my] songs come from a sense of sadness,” muses the 40-year-old, whose last solo album, 2012’s Come Home To Mama, addressed grief in the wake of the death of her mother, folk musician Kate McGarrigle. “But maybe for the first time, there is more joy and lightness on this album,” she adds. “I think because with age has come some comfort and a sense of strength—I am more hopeful.” Though collaborative and stylistically diverse, Wainwright’s elegant, vibrational vocals work within each track on Goodnight City, unifying the album with her powerfully distinct multifaceted emotional spectrum. In listening, one feels a collective comfort—it is a work of community, togetherness, family, and change for the better.” – Nuvo Magazine
 
Gillian Welch – Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg 2xCD (Acony)
Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg is a companion to Welch’s Grammy-nominated debut, Revival, and features 21 outtakes, alternate versions, and demos from the making of Revival, including eight previously unheard songs. “‘Mostly I hear experimentation, trial and error.’ Gillian Welch is recalling her and partner Dave Rawlings 1996 Americana landmark debut, Revival. Her modesty is unwarranted. This is a revealing 21-track collection of outtakes, alternate versions, mixes and demos, some equal, if not superior, to the versions that made the album. These dark, mostly stripped-back tracks, including eight songs previously unreleased, expand our understanding of that signature recording, not least the road to her true voice. The gossamer ‘Paper Wings (Alternate Mix)’ floats in pedal steel heaven, while the home demo of ‘Tear My Stillhouse Down’ crackles with self-loathing, anger and guilt. ‘Red Clay Halo,’ later to appear on Time (The Revelator), also didn’t make it. It was in good company; ‘Dry Town,’ cut from Johnny Cash’s cloth, was another. Warts and all reissues can test the most loyal, but these gems, albeit flawed, simply fascinate.’” – The Irish Times
 
Brujeria – Pocho Aztlan 2xLP (Nuclear Blast)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. First new album in 16 years from the death metal/grindcore band. Limited green color vinyl pressing also available.
 
Built To Spill – Ancient Melodies Of The Future [Reissue/2001] LP (1972)
Guitarist/vocalist Doug Marsch’s studio proficiency is immediately evident in the alternately delicate and devastating mix of mellotron, keyboard, and inventive guitar overdubs that characterize Ancient Melodies Of The Future’s sonic palette.
 
The Caretaker – An Empty Bliss Beyond This World [Reissue/2011] LP (History Always Favours The Winner)
Limited repress. The second album from James Leyland Kirby’s alias The Caretaker. By now regarded an absolute classic of haunted ambient music, An Empty Bliss Beyond This World returns the doddering protagonist to the deserted ballroom, wandering its waxed floor and dilapidated grandeur in an attempt to capture an era which has long since disappeared but still haunts the atmosphere.
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Miss Sharon Jones! [OST] 2xLP (Daptone)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Directed by two-time Academy Award winner, Barbara Kopple, Miss Sharon Jones! follows the dynamic frontwoman through her 2013 battle with cancer and her triumphant return to the stage around the release of Give The People What They Want. Much like the film, the soundtrack gives you an intimate, candid look into the life of a woman who refused to be defined by the challenges she faced. (Sharon Jones’ passed away November 18, 2016.) This vinyl edition includes the bonus track “His Eye On The Sparrow.”
 
Nightmares On Wax – Ground Floor 12” (Warp)
This new EP is back-to-back dance floor jams, though somewhat a departure from his recent work.
 
Southern Culture On The Skids – Electric Pinecones LP+MP3 (Kudzu)
Now available on vinyl. Rambunctious 2016 album from North Carolina trio, serving up a fresh bunch of hillibilly-garage-surf gems. Contains 11 new tunes plus a remake of their classic “Swamp Fox.” Limited color vinyl pressing.
 
Sparks – Sparks [Reissue/1971] LP (1972)
Sparks’ eponymous 1971 debut presents the singular compositional, lyrical and singing voices of Ron and Russell Mael fully formed. Originally released under the moniker Halfnelson, Sparks’ prescient debut prefigures Queen, power pop, and especially Southern California’s late ’70s skinny-tie explosion. It’s a landmark of Todd Rungren’s early production career, and clearly the backing band of brothers Earle and Jim Mankey brought Sparks’ pop idiosyncrasies to their later work with The Dickies, The Quick and 20 / 20. Infectious, daring, and delightfully flaunting camp theatricality throughout, Sparks is the first installment in an unparalleled series of some of the decade’s most classic albums.
Thee Oh Sees – An Odd Entrances CD/LP (Castle Face)
 From the same misty mountaintop tape spool as August’s A Weird Exits, Thee Oh Sees bring the companion album An Odd Entrances. Delving more towards the contemplative than the face-skinning aspects of its predecessor, this sister album is a cosmic exercise en plein aire with John Dwyer and company double-drum shuffling, lounging with cellos, following a flute around the groove, and spooling a few Grimm-dark lullabies along the way. Lurking in the grass are a snake or two, like the celestial facing instrumental buzz of “Unwrap The Fiend Pt. 1.”… But for the most part this is a relatively hushed affair, a morning rather than evening listen.

 The band plans on donating half their profits from the first pressing to Elizabeth House, a local charity in Pasadena that specifically helps homeless women with children get back on their feet.

NEXT WEEK’S NEW RELEASES

CHILDISH GAMBINO – Awaken My Love CD
DAMIEN JURADO / RICHARD SWIFT – Other 
BOB DYLAN – Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert CD/LP
KATE BUSH – Before The Dawn 3CD
ROLLING STONES – Blue + Lonesome CD/LP
BECK – LP reissues for Guero, Odelay, Sea Change LP
JOY FORMIDABLE – Hitch LP
MAGNETIC FIELDS – Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees LP
PINK FLOYD – Animals LP
SAINT MOTEL – Saintmotelevision LP
ERASURE – Snow Globe LP
ERASURE – Tomorrow’s World LP
M.I.A. – Aim LP
PINK MARTINI – Je Dis Oui LP