Weekend Music Roundup

The first official weekend of Fall is upon us, and with it comes one of the most anticipated releases of the year in my world. This has traditionally been a time when a lot of big albums come out. It used to be timed with back to school and aimed at kids who were looking for a distraction, though I'm sure a bit of that history has been lost with the changes to the music industry of the years. However, it's still an important time for releases, gearing up for the holidays and making a mark in the world before the year changes. This list features a few new releases and some old albums of recent discovery. Enjoy.

Liam Gallagher - Why Me? Why Not: The second solo album from the rock icon is his follow-up to 2017's surprise hit debut. Like that record, this is another full-on album of belters that fans of Oasis want to hear. Liam has never tried to reinvent himself, he is who is, a rock 'n roll star. There is no letdown with this record. It's another full length of genuine Liam sound that will most certainly please his fan base, myself included. 

Stuff Smith - Black Violin: Released in '65, shortly before his death two years later, this is a fantastic record by one of the few jazz violinists of the hard-bop era. I picked this up on a whim, mostly because jazz violin is rare and I wanted to hear what it sounded like. Peter Witte on bass and Otto Weiss on piano complete the sound. Both are German musicians, as this was recorded in Munich, and they give it a different feel than American hard bop, but the violin is really what establishes this record and creates a sound that feels entirely new to me. Absolutely love this album.

Thoughts - The Last Summer: This is the second album from the psychedelic pop band out of Florida. It's a bit too much of the current indie pop sound for me to really love, but I'm aware that people do love that sound. I actually love the 80s influences on this and is what it made it stand out to me over a bunch of other indie pop. "Next to You," and "Listen to Me" were standouts.  

The Third Bardo - I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time: This archival EP from Sundazed Records, the leader in unearthing lost material from the '60s, came in in 2000 and contains the entire output from the NYC psychedelic garage band. Originally recorded in '67, the band, despite the clever title track, was not five years ahead of their time. They were very much a part of their time, albeit a part of very underground form of psychedelic rock. Clearly inspired by Syd Barrett era Floyd, but with New York brashness, this is definitely a band that deserved to be uncovered, though now that uncovering is 20 years ago and they've already been forgotten once again. 

Mountain - Flowers of Evil: Released in '71, ten months after Nantucket Sleighride, the third proper album from the New York proto-metal band features one side of new studio material, while the flip side is a live recording. It was clearly an attempt by the label to really build the band off the moderate success of Sleighride, but failed to reach the same level. The band would release another album in '74 before Leslie West would try a solo career. For a band that played a prime slot in the original Woodstock concert, this band never achieved the success they should have. They were the American Led Zeppelin, one of the founders of the heavy sound that would lead to the birth of metal. "One Last Cold Kiss" and "Crossroader" are killer tracks from the studio side. The live side is typical Mountain...blistering guitar and heavy blues.  

The Warlocks - Mean Machine Music: I've been following this L.A. based Neo-psychedelic band for well over a decade and have all eight of their albums, including this one, their new album. What's impressive is that they've never made a bad album, and never made an album that wasn't true to what they are. Of course, with that comes a little lack of improvisation, but that's okay. They make psych rock that isn't too heavy and not too sunny. It's dark and moody, and pretty great. "You Destroy," "It's Hopeless," and the title track are standouts. Oddly, the second side of this album is instrumental versions of the first side, so it's more of an EP, but still a must for fans.