• D'Angelo And The Vanguard - Black Messiah. When it comes to R&B/soul/neo-soul, I don't have many points of reference. Aside from Erykah Badu, there's Prince's 1999 and Sign Of The Times - and growing up in the 80's, I couldn't have not known those two Prince records. Even so, I think just knowing that much has set me up pretty good for getting into this. Prince, of course, had all those amazing funky pop songs, and that creepy sex vibe. The great Badu (who I'm going to see in a couple of weeks!) taught me that there's more to modern soul and R&B than just slow jams and wailing divas; it can be as playful and interesting and experimental as anything - which was only a revelation to me because I never bothered investigating the genre until I accidentally saw Badu do a performance on the Chappelle Show. And this is so all of that: playful and interesting and experimental. The sonic layers are dense and new stuff pokes out everywhere. Some of the melodies and rhythms are either so slithery and shifty, or so clipped and stuttery, that it can feel almost like the Dirty Projectors - who sometimes run with a melody as if they're trying to keep it away from you. And besides the slinky, funky, sexy, slightly psychedelic tunes which occasionally remind me of the lesser-known corners of Prince's Sign Of The Times, D'Angelo sprinkles his spot-on Prince-y falsetto squeals all over the place. Which is definitely not to say that it sounds like any kind of rip-off of any of that: just that this a strange new land for me and I can't help but orient myself by the only landmarks I know. This record is a fun new region of that funky land, and there are fascinating things everywhere I look. Great record.
• Captain Beefheart - Safe As Milk. Late 60's psych-rock. It's certainly more accessible than Trout Mask Replica, but I can't say I find myself ever wanting to listen to it. There are some good tunes, and the band is really great. But right now I'm still in the stage where I have to force myself to give a spin because it hasn't clicked with me. And I really want to know why people rave about the Cap'n. So this is a study, not a treat. Maybe I'll figure it out someday. Some bands just need time to grow on you.
• Nirvana - Bleach (2009 remaster). I remember hearing this record back in 91 or thereabouts and not being too impressed. It definitely wasn't as catchy as Nevermind, so I guess I convinced myself that it was just a warm-up to the good stuff and forgot about it. But hearing it now, I realize that Nevermind is the outlier, and that this, In Utero and Incesticide are what Nirvana really sounded like - not just the production, but the energy and the attitude. And, man: ferocious. Cobain's vocals and guitars utterly seethe with furious energy. Few would call him a techinically great guitar player, but holy fuck, what a ball of fire the guy was. Unfortunately, the bass is buried deep in the mix. Cobain's guitar sound is so huge and Novoselic's tendency to play the root of Cobain's chord right in time with the bass drum makes it hard to pick out the bass out sometimes. And, it's not Dave Grohl on drums, but the two guys who preceded him do a good job keeping up with Cobain's lead. The songs range from truly great to forgettable, and there's a bit of slop in some of them. But that's fine - even if the tune isn't great or if the timings aren't perfect, the sheer energy the three of them generate is just awesome.

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