As promised, this weekend I'm sharing with you all new albums. After nearly a month of not listening to music that I hadn't heard before, it was a welcome return to the norm. I had a ton to chose from, having gathered new music without having to listened to it, the list grew rather long. A lot of these are records that I've been anticipating for quite some time, while others are ones I wanted to take a shot on. Given that new music had escaped for a bit, I didn't want to overload with too many of the same sounds and mixed in a lot of different genres. Hopefully there's something on here for you to discover. Enjoy.
Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes: Following up last year's fantastic Benji album, Mark Kozelek continues his re-invented style of songwriting on the band's new album released this week. Taking a Beat Generation sort of approach, once again these are tales of his every day life, relationships, and experiences told with brutal honesty. There's the danger of songs like this to become boring, but it never happens as musically the desperate mood expands and evolves. This certainly isn't for everybody as it is an album that demands thought and attention, but I really enjoyed it, and as with Benji, I see it growing on me with each listen.
Holly Miranda - Holly Miranda: The former Jealous Girlfriends vocalist and guitarist released her second proper solo record last month, her first in five years. Her debut was an album that I loved, and I got the chance to meet her twice and get her to sign my vinyl copy. I've been waiting for this record for quite some time and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Slightly more pop influenced, this collection of beautiful ballads is as honest and genuine as her debut, and even more consistent. Easily an album I will return to over and over again.
S.T.S. x RJD2 - S.T.S x RJD2: Philly rapper Sugar Tongue Slim teams up with the West Coast instrumental hip-hop artist for this collaborative album that came out last month. There's a 70's feel good vibe to this record that reminds me in part of Crooklyn Dodgers and a little bit of Souls of Mischief. A perfect summer album for the BBQ set. I really enjoyed this, finding it hard not to smile while it was on. Definitely worth listening to if you're into that old school hip-hop funk.
Ryan Adams - Live at Carnegie Hall: Over the years, I tend to go back and forth on Ryan Adams, not that I've ever not liked his music, just sometimes I'm more into it than others. I thought this would be one of those albums that I would enjoy because it's just him in a acoustic setting. I thought that might be the perfect atmosphere for his work, and I was right. This is fantastic! Both nights are wonderful, so make sure to hear both if possible. The song selection spans his career, and to top it off, he's hilarious throughout. This is certainly a definite for fans, as well as for any fair weather fans like myself. A true achievement and probably to be on the year end list.
Kamchatka - Long Road Made of Gold: The Swedish blues rock band's fifth album came out two weeks ago and is a heavy dose of psychedelic blues. They have a bit of an Alice in Chains vibe, but more rooted in '70s hard rock than any kind of metal. Perhaps a heavy Deep Purple would be a better description. A solid rock album, even if not very inventive. For fans of the genre, you could do a lot worse, but for casual listeners, there are certainly more definitive records to pick up first.
Lyrics Born - Real People: The Japanese born Cali rapper's sixth album was released last month and it's quite the up tempo party record. This album is funky as hell, with a Sly Stone vibe that runs throughout. Sometimes it amazes me what happens in pop music, how a terrible song like "Uptown Funk" can become a hit, but a truly energetic creative interpretation of the same vibe can linger in obscurity. Not a perfect album, but a fun one to play on summer weekends.
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