It’s apparently “Instrumental Titans” week in our batch of New Releases and Re-issues. We’ve got dobro-slinger Jerry Douglas’ new release with the Earls Of Leicester, a slab of molten guitar madness from Jeff Beck, and two Zappa releases from the vaults that serve as further proof, if any were needed, that this Mother was a wizard on guitar and Synclavier. Read on…
EARLS OF LEICESTER, Rattle & Roar (CD/LP)
The Earls of Leicester project, an attempt to recreate the authentic Flatt-and-Scruggs-era sound, brings successful later-generation bluegrass musicians back to the roots of their music, pays homage to some of the pioneering greats of the genre and entices newer generations of listeners to scour the back catalogues for the original versions of these older songs. Recorded in one room, it’s also a nod to a simpler approach to recording, before sound booths and AutoTune, although at times, it can feel a bit artificial. Fans of Jerry Douglas will probably agree that the Earls are about as good a Flatt and Scruggs tribute band as you’ll find, and Rattle & Roar makes for a fun listen.
JEFF BECK, Loud Hailer (CD/LP)
Loud Hailer doesn’t bother with too many references to contemporary music. This is strictly a Jeff Beck joint, built around that amazing tone and variations on the 12 bar blues. But he’s hardly stuck in the past: Instead, the new album serves as a reminder of how a guitar should sound, as well as the way it feels when someone has no questions about what he was put here to do. When the result sounds like Loud Hailer, why tamper with what fans want?
needtobreathe, HardLove (CD/LP)
AARON NEVILLE, Apache (CD)
SNOOP DOGG, Coolaid (CD)
STEVEN TYLER, We’re All Somebody From Somewhere (CD)
Fresh Re-Issues and Re-Stocks
FRANK ZAPPA
Crux Of The Biscuit (CD)
The Crux Of The Biscuit was created in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Frank Zappa’s 1974 album Apostrophe(‘). As part of the ongoing Project/Object Audio Documentary Series, it contains rare alternate mixes, live performances & studio session outtakes. This release celebrates the creation of a truly iconic record.
Frank Zappa For President (CD)
Frank Zappa For President? You betcha! We know at various times he wanted to run for office. In the spirit of the 2016 dramatic presidential election adventures, comes a release that gives us a glimpse into what could have been. This album is comprised of unreleased compositions realized on the Synclavier along with other relevant tracks mined from the Vault with a political thread tying it all together.
COMING SOON:
CHARLIE HUNTER, Everybody Has A Plan Until They Get Punched In The Mouth (7/22)
BJ BARHAM, Rockingham (7/29)
CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD, Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel (7/29)
And don’t forget these STILL-NEW platters that matter!
APHEX TWIN, Cheetah (EP) (CD/LP)
Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 experimented with atmosphere, space, and tone; orphaned deejay selek 2006-2008 was stuffed full of warp-speed squelching. Cheetah opts for slow-motion acid instead. “CHEETAHT2 [Ld spectrum]” and “CHEETAHT7b” make for a telegraphed opening one-two punch, lurching like horror movie villains; the two-song “CIRKLON” suite that follows is only a touch more robust. Every song moves with the grace you’d expect from skeletons reanimated and made to tap dance. The EP’s only colorful moments are its interstitial “ms800” pieces, sub-minute digressions that sound like demonstrations of the titular synth’s unique sound.
CAR SEAT HEADREST, Teens Of Denial (CD/LP)
Car Seat Headrest is the project of Seattle singersongwriter Will Toledo. With a vision that is both sweeping in scope and intimately personal, Car Seat Headrest embodies the DIY ethos at its best. Car Seat Headrest began in 2010 in Will’s hometown of Leesburg, Virginia. Needing a place of solitude (and soundproofing) where he could record his often frantic vocals undisturbed, a 17-year old Will set up shop in the family car (hence the name). From this humble origin, he has since built up a catalogue of staggering breadth and depth. In the last five years there have been over ten releases under the Car Seat Headrest name, one of which exceeds two hours in length. While the songs of Car Seat Headrest are often long and complex, they are anchored by irresistible melodies and a piercing emotional directness. Dispersed across the globe, the CSH fanbase is the definition of a cult following: several thousand internet denizens who deeply connect with Will’s intensely honest and unfiltered approach to writing and performing. With the release of Teens of Style, expect that number to greatly expand. This is Car Seat Headrest’s first release on Matador Records.
ERIC GALES, Night On The Sunset Strip (CD)
Blues rock phenom Eric Gales brings his fiery six-string pyrotechnics deep into the heart of Hollywood’s famed music scene on this spectacular concert package! Gales let’s loose on a string of Southern fried soulful blues favorites from his back catalog including “Block The Sun” and “The Open Road” plus tracks from his most recent album Good For Sumthin’ including a smokin’ hot cover of The Stones’s “Miss You!” Features a special guest appearance by Good For Sumthin’ producer Raphael Saadiq bass.
RADIO MOSCOW, Live In California (CD/LP)
“Live! In California” was recorded absolutely live (no overdubs) over two nights at The Satellite club in Los Angeles in December 2015. The album features 76 minutes of the trio’s unique brand of high-energy psychedelic rock n’roll. The material is pulled from all their studio albums and the songs feature new arrangements. “Live! In California” also includes the previously unreleased song “Chance Of Fate”, a cover of the seventies’ band Saint Anthony’s Fyre.
ROB ICKES & TREY HENSLEY, The Country Blues (CD)
The Country Blues is exactly what it sounds like: gently lilting country, occasionally veering into rippin’ territory but largely staying in a more pensive mood. It’s downcast, but it’s downcast in the nevertheless optimistic way the best folky country can be. It’s fiercely focused on both tribulations and overcoming them, much like the music of the greats covered here—there’s some Merle Haggard, there’s some Sonny Boy Williamson. It broaches the divide between emotional complexity and simple joy and pride, and for that it should be commended. PopMatters’ Sarah Zupko wrote that “Ickes and Hensley can seriously burn up the fretboard with some of the most amazing country playing you’ll hear anywhere. In fact, they are so good that they could almost take on Ricky Skaggs with their passion and precision.
MIROSLAV VITOUS, Music From Weather Report (CD)
Weather Report, the great 1970s/80s fusion band, transformed the relationship between jazz instrumentation and creative electronics, and their vibrant sound and rhythmic audacity are influential still. Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, a founder member, paid tribute to their spirit but not their famous tunes on the 2009 album Remembering Weather Report. Now he visits the old material with a supple sextet (including elite New York drummers Gerald Cleaver and Nasheet Waits), kindling a searching mix of free jazz and groove playing. Scarlet Woman Variations has the original Joe Zawinul theme bursting sporadically like a flare out of mists of electronic noise and pithily Shorter-like soprano sax figures; Birdland Variations unfolds the classic motifs in slow horn statements and dark bass speculation; Pinocchio is a trance of dry sax asides and rich keyboard colours, and a hypnotic Vitouš blues thread winds between the pieces. The set simmers with sharp responses to unforgettable material, though its improv priorities may meander a little for Weather Report’s more rock-oriented disciples.
HEART, Beautiful Broken (CD/LP)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Heart return on July 8 with Beautiful Broken, their sixteenth album and their first on Concord Records. Heart has sold over 35 million records, and this anticipated album is their first in four years. Beautiful Broken finds Ann and Nancy Wilson exploring new songs, as well as taking some of their favorite cherry picks from their catalog and rerecording and re-imagining them. The album spans a wide range of musical flavors, though all wrapped up in the Wilson sisters unique brand of hard hitting rock, and even draws a few friends of the band into the mix. The title track features a dynamic guest vocal contribution by Metallica s James Hetfield with Ann Wilson, while another of the brand new songs, Two, was penned by hip-hop artist, Ne-Yo.
VARIOUS ARTISTS, Soul Jazz Records presents VENEZUELA 70 (CD)
Soul Jazz Records’ new Venezuela 70 is the first-ever album of its kind to take a look at the groundbreaking experimental rock music made in Venezuela and created in the 1970s – during a time when the country was both a modern cultural and economic powerhouse in Latin America on account of wealth from its vast oil supplies. Most of these artists featured on Venezuela 70 remain practically unknown outside of Venezuela’s borders and yet their progressive forward-thinking music is some of the most sophisticated in the world – a stunning ‘melting pot’ mix of underground rock, synthetic electronics, funk, jazz and Latin American rhythms all of which explored new sounds and broke down musical boundaries to create a distinct and unique Venezuelan music and cultural identity.
