Weekend Music Roundup!

The weekend has arrived! This week I'm listening to some new releases that I've been been looking forward, and some new discoveries of bands that I'm surprised that I didn't know about. There's also some new additions of bands that I've loved for a long time, as well as a review of an album that has been a favorite of mine for 25 years and I recently upgraded from CD to vinyl. The genres span a the spectrum, from chamber folk, noise garage, blues and jazz. Hopefully there's something here that you'll want to check out. Enjoy.

Beirut - Gallipoli: The fifth album from the Brooklyn based indie folk / chamber pop outfit was released this month. It's been four years since their last release, a typical span for them, and the album is worth the wait. It doesn't deviate from the sound they've mastered over the years, but it's a such a unique and complex sound that four years seems about right for constructing an album. This is another wonderful experience, weaving horns and other non-traditional folk instruments into the tapestry of their music. Simply beautiful.

Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys: I've been a Traffic fan since college, and though this 1971 album is one of their most loved albums, I always avoided anything post Dave Mason until recently. I found this in a $1 bin recently and the wax was in great shape, so there was no way I was going to turn that away. Without Mason, Steve Winwood is able to embrace a more jazz fusion style of psychedelic rock and it's quite lovely. The title track is 12+ minutes of some of the best music that style has to offer. "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" and "Rock n' Roll Stew" are classic Traffic blues rock. "Rainmaker" is another psychedelic fusion gem. 

Le Butcherettes - bi/Mental: The fourth album from the L.A. was released earlier in the year. Though their debut came out eight years ago, this is my first encounter, which surprises me, given my interest in all L.A. based garage / noise rock outfits. This is exactly what I would expect from this kind of band from that particularly city, so in other words, it rocks. There is something of a Courtney Love attitude to the songs that is refreshing in this day and age, though it definitely takes on a more horror punk feel at times that reminds me of L.A. Witch. The singer of this band made an album with Omar Rodriguez Lopez (Mars Volta, At the Drive In) a few years back, called Kimono Kult, which was a little disappointing, but I'm going to have to go back and give it another listen after enjoying this album. 

Hawkwind - Hawkwind: The 1970 debut has been one of my favorites since I first got it on CD when I was 16. I cam across an original vinyl copy recently and simply needed to add it to the collection. I remember listening to this, along with Pink Floyd "Meddle", so often that winter and I credit both albums with my development as a writer. This album takes me to a place in my imagination with stories are blow through the landscape. If you've heard Hawkwind before, but haven't heard this album, you're in for a surprise.

White Denim - Performance:  The eighth album from the Austin indie psych band showcases their continuing development as they move farther away from the psych garage sound of their early days into a more evolved blues rock inspired sound. This is another one of those albums that grew on me the more I listened to it. It's very up-tempo and feel good, laced in a psychedelic buzz that manages to color the record just right. Quality indie-rock and worthwhile checking out.

Fats Waller - Ain't Misbehavin': I picked up this compilation of in the cheap bin a few weeks back, it needed some cleaning up, but once that was done, it sounded great. This is one of the true early legends of jazz from the 30's and one of the most dynamic ragtime jazz personalities. In some ways, his use of vocals were proto-R&B and certainly influenced the likes of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. Over the past couple of years, I've been on a bit of quest to broaden my jazz collection and this is certainly a nice addition.