In a week that saw the passing of Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord and Funk Brothers bassist Bob Babbit, one can only wonder at how truly strange that ever-growing band in Heaven is becoming.
Road Tunes
New music releases for the week of 07-17-2012
Web2Carz Senior Writer
Published: July 17th, 2012
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nother Pitchfork Festival has come and gone. The ringing in our ears from Ty Segal’s blistering set has finally died down, our horrible Heineken hangover has subsided, we’ve scraped the mud from our shoes, and the dry cleaners succeeded in getting Lady Gaga’s lipstick off our collar. Now it’s time to get back to business and run down the latest new releases.
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Susanna Hoffs / Someday (Baroque Folk) THEY SAY: Third solo album from the former Bangles frontwoman. WE SAY: Anyone who’s followed Hoffs’ post-Bangles career, especially the two Under The Covers records she recorded with Matthew Sweet, will be well aware of the singer/songwriter’s penchant for ‘60s chamber pop. Her new solo record was clearly inspired by covering songs by the Zombies, the Left Banke, Bee Gees, and Love, but its production, by veteran producer Mitchell Froom, is a bit too saccharine to capture the psychedelic spirit of that era. |
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Matisyaho / Spark Seeker (Fallen Sparks Records) THEY SAY: Fourth album from the former Hassidic reggae rapper. WE SAY: Now that he’s dropped the beard and the traditional Jewish regalia in favor of a blond pretty-boy look, will anyone still care about him? Did anyone ever? |
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John Maus / A Collection Of Rarities And Previously Unreleased Material (Ribbon Records) THEY SAY: Rag-tag collection of material from the avant-garde musician and frequent collaborator of Panda Bear and Ariel Pink. WE SAY: Considering the wealth of material Maus has released (mostly in absurdly limited editions) there was no shortage of material from which to compile this record, which represents the best of Maus’ work over the last ten years. |
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Nas / Life Is Good (Def Jam) THEY SAY: Tenth album from the Brooklyn rapper born Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones. WE SAY: We were worried about how things were going for Nas, so we’re thankful for the reassuring title. Featuring collaborations with Mary J. Blige and the late British singer Amy Winehouse, Life Is Good finds “The Don” in fine form, a major talent still at the peak of his abilities. |
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Frank Ocean / Channel Orange (Virgin) They Say: First full-length release from Philly hip-hop band who regularly employ samples from alt-rock bands like Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, and MGMT. We Say: Any hip-hop band that has to sample Sufjan Stevens is either on to something new, or completely out of ideas. Any hip-hop band that has to sample Sufjan Stevens is either on to something new, or completely out of ideas. Any hip-hop band that has to sample Sufjan Stevens is either on to something new, or completely out of ideas. |
