Weekend Music Roundup

Welcome to the first weekend of August, where we're holding true to the dog days of summer. It's been brutally hot in the valley over the last week, but last night the weather finally broke little bit. The only good thing about summer is that it's always a big season for new music and this week I'm taking a gander a few new releases that have been a very welcome relief to the heat. Enjoy.

My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall II: It's been five years since the midwestern alt country band's last album, The Waterfall. Jim James has been busy in that time, but the band has finally come together to make a sequel album. This has a very mature sound to it. The sound of band that knows what they are and what they want to be. It has a 70s vibe to it, a sort of Lindsey Buckingham style, and by that, I mean washed out in mellow cocaine bliss. "Still Thinkin," "Welcome Home," "Magic Bullet," and "Wasted" are standouts on this fine record.

The Kooks - Unshelved: Part III: The third in a series of EPs released this year to showcase demos that had been left off their previous two records. As with the other two installments, these songs are fantastic, and in many cases, better than tracks on the last album. I'm glad they chose to do it this way, giving us a few songs at a time, it's easier to digest than one big compilation, and each EP has a feel to it. "Window to the Soul," "Off My Knees," "Vicious," and "Let it Go" are favorites.

Keith Relf - All the Falling Angels: As the frontman for the legendary Yardbirds, Relf is an often overlooked icon of the 60s British Blues sound. After the band broke up and Jimmy Page went on to form Led Zeppelin with Plant, Relf formed Renaissance, but he also recorded several singles, the first being the great "Mr. Zero". This newly released compilation features his solo recordings from '65 until his untimely passing in '76. His sound would evolve into psychedelic folk that is reminiscent of Syd Barrett. There's some great tracks on here and well worth the listen.

Ritual King - Ritual King: The debut album from the Manchester stoner rock band was released in Feb and is a pretty solid introduction to the world. It has all the hallmarks of the genre, fuzzed out drone guitar, heavy drums, and mystical psych vocals. "Headspace" is an instrumental gem of solid riffs. "Dead Roads" is a great sludgefest track. "Black Hills" is the NWOBHM guitar shredding closer. Decent stuff.

Garland - Laser Eyes: The debut album from indie French band came out in June. It's a bit of a mix of styles, from shoegaze to indie rock to 80s goth. Unlike most shoegaze that feature a steadiness to each track, these songs are chaotic at times, though everything remains lost in the fuzz. II admit to taking a chance on this because of the artwork. You can listen to it for free on the band's Bandcamp site (linked above). This is one of those albums that washes over you and doesn't quite absorb into you unless you really pay attention. "The Northern Wind" was by far my favorite track.

David Bowie - Ziggy at the BBC: Years ago, I snatched up the three disc Bowie at the BBC set that came out, and while I've always loved Bowie, those takes were eye-openingly terrific. My favorite disc had been the Ziggy years, and when it came out on vinyl, I just couldn't afford the $75 price tag at the time...it's now much more. So when I came across this bootleg of my favorites, I definitely picked it up. Plus, Ziggy Stardust is one of the few Bowie records I didn't have on vinyl, so this killed two birds with one stone. Fantastic stuff.