Weekend Music Roundup

Welcome back to the Roundup. The heat has fled the area and the listening is easier. This week's list features a couple of new releases, and a good deal of records that I would call catalog completion pick-ups. As I"m sure you're all aware by now, several years into the roundup, that I'm a completest. If there's an artist I like, I will listen to most of their catalog, at least until a cut-off point. However, as recent readers will note, my cut off points have been in the process of changing lately. I'm expanding deeper into a lot of catalogs of artists from the past and have been gifted with great finds in that regards. Enjoy.

Silversun Pickups - Widow's Weeds: The fifth album from the L.A. indie rock band is their first since 2015. This is a band that averages a good three years between releases and I think that helps keep the quality of their records consistent. With each album, they manage to create songs that are catchy in a unique way, and manage to make records that are incredibly even throughout, never having throw-away songs. That's something that takes time, and I imagine they work hard to craft an album, which creates the lag. This is another fine addition to their catalog, and possibly their most consistent to date. "Bag of Bones," "Simpatico," "Songbirds," and the title track are standouts for me.

Elton John - Legendary Covers '69/ '70: Before becoming a star, Sir Elton did what he needed to do to make ends meet, which meant recording covers of hit songs for a label so they could release them and cash in on success. Now they get to cash in on Elton's success, and have been for 30 years since the first compilation came out. The was recently re-released on rainbow splatter vinyl (limited to 500) and I picked one up to complete my Elton collection. There are some songs on here that simply fantastic, and others that are just okay. But it's great hearing these songs sung by Elton and giving it his all.

Sopor Aeternus and the Ensemble of Shadows - Death and Flamingos: The German darkwave band's career has spanned thirty years. Led by the iconic goth, Anna-Varney Cantodea, the band has consistently released eerie neo-classical music that I was first introduced to a few years back. This record isn't as profound as some of their earlier records and feels like perhaps, after 30 years, they are attempting to gain a slightly wider audience. An interesting listen, but I'd stick with some of the older stuff for an introduction. 

Mott the Hoople - Mott the Hoople: The 1969 debut album from the band that would become one of the leading glam rock bands of the early-to-mid 70's is a much different record than their later Bowie sounding albums. This is more a hard-rock guitar driven Bob Dylan than a David Bowie. This is not an iconic record, but is one of those key albums for understanding how blues/folk hard rock morphed into glam rock. This is a band trying to sound like other artists of the time, yet still striving to find their own unique fit, which eventually they would. Not essential, but a solid album to pick up for a few dollars. 

Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly: The fifth album from the Southern soul singer was released in 1973 and features her best known song as the title track. As readers here are aware, I've been a bit of a Roberta kick lately, so when this record turned up in a free box of records I picked up a few months back, I was pretty excited. As with her earlier albums that I've enjoyed, this is more beautiful sadness, and she has a voice that can do that better than most. But the upbeat soul music keeps the record from being a downer. It has a little more of the 70's pop soul sound than her earlier records, but still good stuff. 

The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head: Released in 1971, this is the third album from the San Fran garage rock band. This is a raw blues based, proto-punk record that I'd been waiting to hear for some years. There's a Captain Beefheart meets Jefferson Airplane sound that they cultivate on here, but completely interpreted through garage rock aesthetics. This extended version, released in 1999, includes a ton of bonus tracks including great covers, including one of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day." Other great tracks included "City Lights," "Yesterday's Numbers," and "Whiskey Woman."