- The Gun Club - Fire of Love. Classic 80's punk infused with blues. I'd heard the name, but I always assumed The Gun Club was some kind of new wave synths-and-white-hair band. But a friend who has no use for that stuff mentioned this record, and I took a listen. It's good! I wish I'd heard it 25 years ago. (Update: this was also #77 in our 2011 Readers Favorite Records Poll!)
- Jack White - Lazaretto. For some reason, I haven't liked any of Jack Black's post-White Stripes records 1/10th as much as I like his Stripes stuff. In my ears, that minimal blues-stomp stuff the Stripes did is so much more fun and alive than what he does when he gets to add all kinds of other instruments. Bring back Meg!
- Yevgeny Kutik - Music From The Suitcase. There's a genre of music that gets used as background in dark movies, especially those set in eastern Europe, early 1900s. It's usually a solo violin in a classical style, but mournful and plaintive and less formal than the old masters. I once thought they might be Chopin (eastern European, classical but more modern, etc.), so I bought a bunch of Chopin. But that wasn't it; Chopin is too intricate and busy (and piano-based). I only knew Stravinsky and Prokofiev from their big loud symphonies, so I didn't suspect them. And that's as far as my knowledge of eastern European classical music went. This was pre-digital music, where you could just preview tunes at will, so I couldn't just hunt around. I eventually gave up. But a couple of months back I heard a review of this record on NPR, and there was that music again: violin and piano, spooky, melancholy. And they were mostly short songs by big-name Russian composers, late 19th C, early 20th C: Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovitch, etc.. I just didn't know they did those types of things. Mystery solved.
- Cypress Hill - Black Sunday. Insane In The Membrane!, yeah that one. It's fun, shut up.
- The Pharcyde - Bizzare Ride II. Since early 90s hip-hop is the only hip-hop I like, I must buy everything from that era. It's a little uneven, but the good parts are really good. I like it.
You?
I have Cypress Hill’s first album on CD in my car right now.
is it as good as Black Sunday?
I thought it was better, but haven’t listened to Black Sunday in a very long time.
If what you dig is that Native Tongues style 90s hip-hop, don’t sleep on Handsome Boys Modeling School. Many of the same players incl Prince Paul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLeeE-DTN9w&list=PLXQX5Vjm0TG0agAo8uBG_8A6r-acxVG1S
Also, Lovage – Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By is nice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od8FfT1U820&index=81&list=WL
thanks and thanks.
yup, Native Tongues and similar.
Meg White (?) is a recluse now by all accounts.
I’ve been listening to:
Turn Blue by The Black Keys. They’ve added even more polish and it seems a little less frantic than their previous records but every song is a gem. Some of it sounds a little Pink Floyd-ish, “Fever” sounds like MGMT and the last track, “Gotta Get Away” sounds like Slade (UK band from the early 70s).
Reflektor by Arcade Fire. This band keep on experimenting and are getting away with it. This is a deeply layered record but can be a little messy at times. It isn’t as consistent as 2010’s “The Suburbs” but that’s because they’re taking more risks.
Morning Phase by Beck. My record of the year so far. Never been a massive fan but this has blown me away. It sounds like it was recorded on the West Coast in 1967. It’s just beautiful, there is no other word for it. “Turn Away” is so good it makes me want to cry.
Pearl Mystic by Hookworms. British psychedelic space rock. Dim the lights, headphones on, off on a trip.
Luminous by The Horrors. I couldn’t find fault with 2011’s “Skying” album. Sadly this one sees the band treading water and taking the easy path. Still a decent record but I was expecting more.
Late 80’s early 90’s hip-hop is all I like as well.
I’ve got on:
Dream River by Bill Callahan It’s all about his voice, a wonderfully compelling baritone. Really mellow, but this thing just mesmerizes me.
Toward the Low Sun by Dirty Three Drums, guitar and Violin by Nick Cave’s Warren Ellis. Sort of a jazz rock instrumental with shades of the noisier elements of Birthday Party.
How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident by Future of the Left Reminds me a bit of Gang of Four. Gritty, noisy and angry.
Splinter by Gary Numan I went through a serious synth period in the 80’s and was one of the few people in the States who actually liked Numan beyond his one US hit Cars. Nowadays, he is playing off those who he eventually influenced. This is his best in years and is Nine Inch Nails-ish with a dash of gothic industrial metal.
Forgot to add Held in Splendor by Quilt Found them from a random like from a friend on Facebook. Really nice psychedelic indie-rock. At times you’d swear it was 1968 again.