A lot of good new stuff, but nothing great except in the Jazz and Reissue bins. Highest marks go to Disco Inferno (we weren’t ready for them in 1992), George Jones, Fania Retrospective, Craig Taborn, Ambrose Akimusire and almost all African compilations.
Formidable Fourteen
Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming / Bombina – Agadez / M & A – things yes / Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones / White Denim – D / The Black Keys – El Camino / Tom Waits – Bad as Me/ Bomb the Music Industry – Vacation / Siberia – Lights / Wussy – Strawberry / tUnE-yArDs – WHOKILL / Yuck – Yuck / Florence and the Machines – Ceremonials / Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What
When Charles Bradley sings about how hard it is to make it in America’s land of milk and honey, its more than retro soul. He a 63-years-old with a frayed James Brown/Wilson Pickett style that pleads, testifies and tells the truth. Bombino is a young Taureg guitarist (that’s like someplace in North Africa). It’s hypnotic blues but a little more alive than dusty old Ali Farka Toure, the fuzz petal helps. M&A are two Italian teenagers who mold their electronic pop into blissful sunshine. A little like Phoenix using baby pianos and pitter patter beats – no cynics allowed. Lights’ Siberia has the same sunny feel along with a synth-driven dance floor pop and a hot singer. Two fist pumping arena rock good time anthems lead off Frank Turner’s album before he settles into fairly standard folk fare – but just try to resist not singing along with those first tunes about the glories of rock n’ roll and “It doesn’t matter where you come from, It matters where you go”. White Denim’s D has hit on a swirly psychedelic jam band style that takes me back to the San Francisco of the sixties. Both the Black Keys and Florence and the Machine have much fuller even overproduced sound that somehow helps them outdo earlier efforts. Tom Waits gets the nod because Bad as Me is accessible, and I can actually understand him. It also reminds me of his Heart of a Saturday Night. Except for the Gnarly Mr. Simon, the rest of my picks are solid “Indie” efforts that blow the doors of pretentious crap of say Fleet Foxes.
Twins
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Steve Wilson– Grace for Drowning / Opeth – Heritage
Porcupine Tree’s Steve Wilson’s two disc solo set is the best progressive album of the year with ambient melancholy that embraces everything from Pink Floyd to Traffic. As producer, he then gets Opeth to abandon death metal in favor of King Crimson and Thick as a Brick. It’s all overindulgent excess– where are my headphones?
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Tim Hecker – Ravedeath 1972 / Diskjokke– Sagara
“In the Fog”, “Analog Paralysis”, “Hatred of Music”. The song titles in Ravedeath tell it all. The dark atmospheric and beat-less ambient haze continues with Diskjokke until the final song washes over you with celestial chimes.
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Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ / Mayer Hawthorne – How Do You Do
Both these retro soul guys have stepped up. Saadiq has boosted his energy and blends in blues and rock. He is having fun and moving beyond Motown.. Hawthorne’s songs are better than ever but the album is overproduced – listen to his Thanksgiving live performance without the gloss on rollingstone.com
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Pearl Jam – Live on Ten Legs / Thrice – Major/Minor
Pearl Jam’s Legs has 18 greatest hits live recorded from 2003- 2010. It’s now less grunge, almost classic rock. After eight albums, Thrice is also playing it safe having abandoned dreamy alt rock for straight ahead rock riffs.
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TheWeeknd – House of Balloons / Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra
You can’t buy good buzz, but you can build it by embracing R&B mash-ups and free downloads of your mix tape through social media and YouTube. This is the future. Ocean’s “Novacane” is my single of the year.
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Russian Circles – Empros / And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead – Tao of the Dead
Empros is cathartic post-rock that starts out closer to metal and ends with a lullaby; while Texas Sludge masters Trail of the Dead present a science fiction fantasy album straight out of Narnia with a talking fox and an Olivia Mumm princess. The concept is a wacked out disaster, but the music is great (on both albums).
African Reissues Rule (as usual)
Afro-Soultet – Afrodesia / V.A. – Rough Guide to African Guitar Legends / Sofrito – Tropical Discoteque / V.A. – Nigeria 70 – Sweet Times: Afro-Funk, Highlife & Juju From 1970s Lagos / Bambara Mystic Soul – The Raw Sound of Burkina Faso 1974-1979 / Ebo Taylor – Life’s Stories / Tabu Ley Rochereau – The Voice of Lightness
Jazz
Piano: Keith Jarrett – Rio / Craig Taborn – Avenging Angel / Marcin Wasilewski Trio – Faithful / Gerald Clayton Bond – The paris sessions Solo Sax: Colin Stetson – New History of Warefare Vol 2 / Matana Roberts – Live in London Avant Garde (old school: Kieran Hebden/Steve Reid/Mats Gustafsson – Live at South Bank / Ambrose Akimusire – When the Heart Emerges Glistening / Muhal Ibrahim Abrams – SoundDance Avant Garde (w/some minimalism): Timothy Andres – Shy and Mighty / Steven Lugerner – These Are the Words / Steven Lugerner Septet – Narratives Same Drummer – two groups: Charles Lloyd Maria Farantouri – Athens Concert / Eric Harland – Voyager: Live by night Fusion: Mats/Morgan Band – Live Old Wine/New Bottles Miles Davis – Bitches Brew Live / Miles Davis Quintet – Live in Europe 1967 / V.A. – Miles Espanol / Joe Harriott – The Joe Harriott Story
Recycled Old Stuff
Off – First Four EPs / Disco Inferno – The 5 EPs / Eddy Current Suppression Ring – So Many Things / Archers of Loaf – Icky Mettle / The Radio Dept. – Passive Aggressive Singles 2002-2010 / Human Switchboard – Who is Landing in my Hangar / Bitch Magnet – Bitch Magnet George Jones – Heartbreak Hotel / Willie Wright – Telling the Truth V.A. – Fania Records 1964-1980 / Dr. Boogie presents Wasa Wasa – Fabulous Rhythm n’Blues / The Plastic People of the Universe – Magical Nights / Neil Diamond – The Bang Years 1966-1968 / Mick Taylor – Mick Taylor / Rolling Stones – Some Girls
Comfort Food
Warren Haynes – Man in Motion / Steven Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers – Rare Bird Alert / Hot Tuna – Steady as She Goes / Neil Young International Harvesters – A Treasure
Not Bad…
Wild Flag – Wild Flag / TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light / Johnny Winter – Roots / Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo / Levin Torn White – Levin Torn White / Peter Stampfel and Jeffrey Lewis – Come on Board / Gary Clark Jr – Gary Clark Jr / Girls – Record 3 Father Son Holy Ghost / PJ Harvey – Let England Shake / Nicholas Jaar – Space is Only Noise / Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
Treading Water
Moby – Destroyed / My Morning Jacket – Circuital / Foo Fighters – Wasting Light / Corea, Clarke & White – Forever / Chick Corea & Stefano Bollani – Orveito
Good Intentions Suck
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Revelator / Bobby McFerrin – VOCAbuLarieS / Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes / New York Dolls – Dancing Backwards in High Heels
Final Thoughts
The reissues of Off! and Eddy Current Suppression are highly recommended. Off! if you like accessible Black Flag punk while Eddy Current specializes in garage rock (with a cheesy farfisa organ) and a Cockney accent. On George Jones’ compilation you don’t hear a country crooner, but a young rockabilly rebel who isn’t afraid to take shots at Elvis. My guilty pleasures – which I can’t objectively justify – include Hot Tuna’s laid back folk blues (no more boogie, we’re old now) and Warren Haynes’ subtle tribute to Southern Soul. Finally, if you lived in New York in the 70s and want to bring back some street corner Salsa memories, pick up the Fania Records retrospective.